The Miami Dolphins are not waiting until the last minute to have a plan in place.
On Monday, the franchise said they are working on a protocol that will keep social distancing in place at sporting events if teams are allowed to host fans during the 2020 NFL season.
Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel revealed during an exclusive interview with Good Morning America mock-ups of new entrance and social distance strategies for Hard Rock Stadium.
“We would have times to come in for security at different gates so people would be separated out in terms of when they enter the stadium,” Garfinkel said, according to ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe. “We would exit the stadium much like a church environment where each row exits so people aren’t filing out all at the same time in a herd.”
The plan include colored spots on the ground leading up to the entrance gates that will keep fans away from each other, limiting attendance to 15K and space out the seating to follow social distancing guidelines.
“When our fans, players, and staff are able to return to Hard Rock Stadium, we want them to have peace of mind that we’re doing everything we can to create the safest and healthiest environment possible,” Garfinkel said. “We didn’t want to create our own standard, we wanted to be accountable to the most credible third-party standard that exists.
“Working with the GBAC ensures compliances with critical guidelines for the highest standard of cleanliness and it is our hope that other venues will follow suit as we navigate through these unprecedented times.”
The NFL plans to release its 2020 schedule this week, and reportedly has contingency plans if the season were to be delayed.
