Carolina Panthers set mask policy for games at Bank of America Stadium
Face coverings will now be required for the indoor spaces at Bank of America Stadium.
The Carolina Panthers announced Tuesday afternoon that face coverings have to be worn by staff and guests in the indoor sections of the stadium. They are not required for the outside areas, which take up most of the stadium.
Some of the biggest areas included in the new policy are the indoor concourses on the 300 and 400 levels. Other areas included under the policy are the elevators and the team store.
Masks will be available at all stadium entrances and at guest relations and security booths. Being vaccinated is not a requirement for attending events at the stadium.
When asked what the enforcement policy at the stadium would be like, a Panthers team spokesperson said, “Our expectation is that fans will be respectful of others and follow the protocols.”
The news come a day after the Mecklenburg County Health Department recommended issuing another countywide mask mandate.
The county commissioners will vote Wednesday on making the department recommendation into a rule for all indoor public places. Although the Panthers are putting in place the policy now, the new county policy, if approved, would take 10 days to go into effect.
For the 10 days until that policy would be put in place, the city of Charlotte is issuing a mask mandate for the city and unincorporated areas of the county. There is not yet a decision on potential fines that may be implemented by the county for those not wearing face coverings.
On the Panthers side, they join a growing group of NFL teams that have recently put in place new mask policies for stadiums around the country. The Las Vegas Raiders have taken the most extreme approach thus far and are requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination at the stadium, but not requiring masks.
The Charlotte Knights announced Monday that all fans accessing public, indoor areas of Truist Field will be required to wear a face covering unless actively eating or drinking.
Last year, all public venues required masks to be worn and limited attendance was in place. In May, the team had announced plans to have no vaccination or mask requirements for 2021, however, COVID-19 numbers are moving in the wrong direction. On average, Mecklenburg is seeing 576 new cases each day, an 86% increase over the past 14 days, according to an Observer analysis of county data released Friday.
The first event that the new Bank of America Stadium policy will be in place for is the Panthers’ preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.
The stadium was a key site for administering mass COVID-19 vaccines this spring.
This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 5:29 PM.
