Chicago Bears Will Keep Fans Out of Soldier Field
At least for now, Bears fans will not be able to see their team in person at Soldier Field.
However, they could still see the season opener if they knew a way to get tickets in Detroit because the Lions' last announcement on the topic was for limited seating at Ford Field on Sept. 13 against the Bears.
The Bears confirmed the inevitable Monday when they announced Soldier Field will be empty at games for the foreseeable future.
They had already announced the cancellation of season-ticket plans for this season and it seemed headed for no fans, especially considering the current Illinois COVID-19 restrictions will not allow for Soldier Field seating.
The announcement came from the team after it had been debated on whether a safe way existed for some fans to be in the stadium.
"After discussing a draft plan with city health officials, the Bears and the City of Chicago agreed the health metrics show that it is not the right time to welcome fans back to Soldier Field," the statement said. "The health and safety of the city’s residents and fans of the Bears will always take priority.
"The team and city will continue to monitor the environment and believe there can be a sound plan in place to bring fans back to Soldier Field once it is deemed safe and appropriate. Until then, Bears home games will not include in-person fans."
The discussion on the decision included the Bears, the Chicago Park District, ASM Global and public health officials.
No NFL policy has been adopted for fans but the current Illinois COVID-19 restrictions allow only 20% seating at football games for Memorial Field in Champaign, Huskie Stadium in DeKalb and Ryan Field in Evanston. There are no college games to be played at those stadiums, however, as Illinois, Northern Illinois and Northwestern have all canceled the season,
The Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans are set to open the season Sept. 10 and Arrowhead Stadium is slated to hold 20% capacity for the game.
The Lions have told season ticket holders that the team is "anticipating a reduced seating capacity, with socially distanced seating," at Ford Field but does plan to have fans in attendance for the opener Sept. 13 against the Bears.
"Capacity restrictions have not yet been determined by government officials," a letter to fans by the Lions said earlier this month.
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