California to allow limited return of fans to MLB parks, other outdoor sporting events

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California on Friday lifted some coronavirus restrictions on outdoor sports and entertainment venues, clearing the way for fans to attend games on Major League Baseball's Opening Day and for theme parks like Disneyland to reopen for the first time in more than a year.

The rules, announced Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration, take effect April 1, but they apply only to people living in California. Baseball teams, event organizers and theme parks are not allowed to sell tickets to anyone living out of state as public health officials try to limit mixing while continuing to roll out coronavirus vaccinations.

The San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland A's all announced they will have fans in the stands for Opening Day on April 1. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants both start their seasons on the road and said they would announce their plans later.

Dr. Mark Ghaly, California's top public health official, said the state is acting now because the rates of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are declining while the number of people receiving the vaccine is increasing.California reported 4,659 new coronavirus cases on Thursday while just over 3 million people have been fully vaccinated, or about 10% of the population 16 and older.

"Today's announcement is focused on building in some of the compelling science about how the virus behaves, and how activities when done a certain way can reduce risk,'' Ghaly said.

Despite President Joe Biden saying there will be enough vaccine doses for all adults by the end of May, state officials said Friday that they can't estimate when the next group of people will be eligible for shots. Supplies are expected to stay flat for several weeks, said Marta Green, who is with the state agency charged with vaccination delivery.

California divides its counties into four color-coded tiers based on the spread of the virus. The purple tier is the most restrictive, allowing the fewest activities because of COVID-19 spread, followed by red, orange and yellow. Attendance limits for outdoor sports and other events are based on what tier a county is in.

Outdoor sports will be limited to 100 people in the purple tier. The limits increase to 20% capacity in the red tier, 33% in the orange tier and 67% in the yellow tier.

Teams and event organizers can only sell tickets regionally in the purple tier. In the other tiers, teams and organizers can sell tickets to anyone living in California. No concessions will be allowed in the purple tier, while in others, concession sales will only be available at seats.

Enforcing the rules will be left to venues. Ghaly and Dee Dee Myers, director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, said organizers will have to sell tickets in advance and can cross-check to confirm hometowns to help with contact tracing if needed.

Myers acknowledged that some people will try to beat the system, but she said officials hope people will respect the guidelines.

Attendance for indoor events, including NBA games and concerts, are still prohibited. Coming up with rules for indoor events is "much more difficult," Myers said.

"We will continue to work on that we'll come back over the next couple of weeks and try to update this so that we can provide more visibility and a path forward for more businesses," Myers said.

The Oakland A's announced fans will be seated in pods of two or four seats, and tickets will only be available on the MLB Ballpark app.

Fans can order concessions on their phones and have them delivered to their seats. No tailgating is allowed, and teams will not accept cash inside the stadium. People who don't have debit cards can purchase one with cash at a limited number of locations inside the venue.

Richard Haick of San Pablo, California, has already bought ticket vouchers for the Oakland A's return and said he hopes to take his 10-year-old son to a game soon.

"It's nice to have, even in a reduced capacity, some sense of normal,'' said Haick, a 45-year-old photographer.

Theme parks can open in the red tier at 15% capacity and boost attendance limits as virus rates decrease. Again, only people who live in California can buy tickets. Indoor rides at outdoor parks will be allowed because they are typically short and can allow for proper spacing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.