Panthers pumped to bring fans back after Cooper expands outdoor venue capacity

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers are pumped to welcome fans back to Bank of America Stadium after Gov. Roy Cooper expanded capacity limits at larger outdoor event venues.

At a news conference Tuesday, Cooper announced that outdoor venues with seating capacity over 10,000 can open at 7% capacity starting Oct. 2.

“I think 7% is way too low,” fan Bryan Meyers told Channel 9. “I try to go to the games as much as possible, and I’m really missing out because we can’t go.”

The governor’s revised guidelines come as North Carolina universities begin their fall sports seasons and the Carolina Panthers begin their season.

The Panthers played their home opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 13 in an empty stadium. The team told Channel 9 that it is pumped to welcome fans at its next home game against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 4 and will have safety measures in place to ensure everyone’s safety.

Bank of American Stadium holds about 75,000 people, with the 7% capacity in place, the stadium could welcome more than 5,000 fans.

The seats would be physically distanced and only in the lower bowl.

William Haygood III received the email from the team, but decided to opt-out.

“Because we’ve got small kids and we normally take them to the games, but we’ve got their grandparents that watch them while they’re taking school,” Haygood said. “So, I’ve just got way too much exposure and my wife is not a big fan of going out there.”

UNC Charlotte’s chancellor announced that the school has been working on plans to get fans back to sporting events. A new ruling will allow some players' families to attend as early as this weekend.

“You know, I think there’s a lot of pressure to make that happen,” Haygood said. “People are trying to get to back to some form of normalcy, so it’s not surprising.”

Cooper said the guidelines apply to venues that hold more than 10,000 people, which means the impact from this will lean more toward college and pro sports -- smaller outdoor venues will still be held to a 50-person limit.

The new guidance is slated to go into effect on Oct. 2, but Cooper said officials decided to share the news a little early to give venues time to make preparations that are key to safely re-opening their doors. The venues must still comply with social distancing guidelines and mask requirements.

“We’ve heard from these venues they need time to print tickets, to tell their fans the procedures and all that has to go on to make sure that everybody is safe,” Cooper said.

The governor said the decision to allow stadiums and other large outdoor venues to open with the capacity limit was a step toward moving into Phase 3. That measure will only take effect if virus metrics remain stable.

“When we ease restrictions, that means our efforts are working,” Cooper said.

After lifting some restrictions with the state’s transition into Phase 2.5 on Sept. 4, North Carolina has not seen an uptick in cases, emergency room visits for COVID-like symptoms or the percentage of positive tests.

In fact, the percentage of positive tests has dropped in recent weeks, hovering around 5%, which North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen has emphasized as a goal.

The governor said the continued stability of the state’s metrics is a reflection of North Carolinians’s efforts and he hopes to ease other restrictions when Phase 2.5 expires next Friday.

“We will continue analyzing our data as we determine how to move forward safely in other areas that may be included in the new order on October second. In it, we hope to ease some other restrictions, while keeping in place safety protocols like masks and social distancing,” Cooper said.

The new guidelines continue to leave out businesses such as bars, night clubs and movie theatres, which have remained closed since mid-March. However, if the state’s metrics continue to improve, Cooper could announce next week that more restrictions may be lifted ahead of the expiration of the current executive order.

“We’ve seen our strength and team spirit on full display these last six months. If we keep up our commitment we can drive our numbers down even more and put our state in position to come out of this pandemic even stronger,” Cooper said.

During Tuesday’s news conference, the governor also said he would get a COVID-19 vaccine once the Food and Drug Administration approves it and it’s his turn to receive it after essential workers.

In the meantime, he wants North Carolinians to get flu shots in preparation for a possible surge in coronavirus spread during the fall and winter months, which many infectious disease experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have predicted.

“We’ve got to make sure that we continue our efforts getting people vaccinated, not only for COVID-19 when it comes but all other diseases that are out there,” Cooper said.

Tepper ’disappointed’ no fans will be inside Bank of America Stadium for season opener

Cox Media Group