Excitement was in the air Wednesday night as Capital One Arena opened its doors to fans for the first time since March 10, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tonight’s NBA game between the Washington Wizards and Golden State Warriors marked the beginning of some normalcy for fans.
Capital One Arena put in place new health and safety protocols including electronic-only ticketing, pods of one to four seats placed in a staggard manner, and specific, dedicated points of entry to sections. Face masks and a quick health screening are also required.
Video: capitalonearena/IG Story
On April 12, Monumental Sports & Entertainment announced additional information after D.C. approved the waiver MSE requested for fans to attend games at 10% capacity, which is 2,100 fans.
👏 👏 👏
Welcome back, fans!#DCAboveAll https://t.co/KQzhsjvlhF
— MonumentalSportsNet (@MonSportsNet) April 21, 2021
Wizards’ guard Bradley Beal welcomed fans back saying, “It’s a small step forward, but a step nonetheless.”
Bradley Beal welcomes fans back to @CapitalOneArena!#WizWarriors | @RealDealBeal23 pic.twitter.com/HJenOISS7a
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) April 21, 2021
Washington Football Team’s head coach Ron Rivera was also in the building tonight.
Good to see you, Coach Rivera! 🏈 pic.twitter.com/qWbZaJZTNO
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) April 22, 2021
The first Capitals game with fans in the stands will be on Tuesday, April 27 as they host the New York Islanders. Both the Wizards and Capitals will honor DMV first responders and frontline and essential workers of the COVID-19 response during their first games back with fans. Due to the very limited tickets to be made available, priority for ticketing will be given to season ticket members and partners, with information forthcoming on ticket availability for the general public.
By Della Young