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The Detroit Lions will be allowing fans in the stadium after all. Well, kind of.
The team announced on Thursday morning that Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts will have 500 friends and family of the team in attendance.
“Hosting friends and family this Sunday against the Colts is a great step towards our goal of welcoming fans back to Ford Field this season,” team president Rod Wood said in an official statement. “With health and safety being the top priority, this is an opportunity to further evaluate new stadium protocols on a larger scale. We continue to collaborate with local, state and national health officials on increasing capacity for our remaining home games.”
According to the latest executive order from Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, 500 is currently the maximum capacity for spectators of any indoor sporting event.
This news come a couple weeks after the Lions cancelled the three-game plan they were offering season-ticket holders at the beginning of the season. Follow up reports suggested the team may be open to sell single-game tickets later in the season if restrictions open up. However, it’s worth noting that Michigan is currently seeing a significant uptick in COVID-19 positivity test rates in the majority of state counties.
Sunday’s game will be Detroit’s third of eight home games this season and their first with any spectators in the stands. Detroit does host two home games to close out the 2020 schedule, so there may be a small chance for fans to attend before the season is over. But current state limitations will have to change before they can take that step.