MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 03: A general view of American Family Field during a game between the Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers on April 3, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
The Milwaukee Brewers are joining a growing list of teams that are increasing their seating capacity for home games, the team announced Tuesday.
According to a social media post, the Brewers will increase seating capacity for games at American Family Field to 50% beginning with Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Braves:
That new 50% threshold is double what the Brewers were allowed to host inside of the stadium to start the season. The Brewers had originally requested a 35% capacity limit, but agreed to the 25% threshold after meeting with local officials prior to the start of the 2021 campaign.
Now, the Brewers will be allowed to seat more than 20,000 fans in the ballpark, based on a fixed seating capacity of 41,900.
Tailgating, which was originally not allowed at games at the start of the season, was later permitted and will be allowed to continue.
The Brewers join a growing list of teams that are bumping up seating capacities. The New York Mets and Yankees lifted capacity limits for fans who have been vaccinated against coronavirus. The Arizona Diamondbacks will lift seating restrictions beginning on May 25, but will require masks and encourage social distancing in non-seating areas.
The Houston Astros are allowing full capacity in some sections of Minute Maid Park, but socially-distanced seating, with pods of up to four tickets, is also available in designated sections.
The Chicago Cubs and White Sox are both limited to just over 20% capacity at their respective ballparks, but that could change when Illinois moves into a so-called “Bridge Phase” in its COVID reopening process on Friday.
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