Getting tested 72 hours before game time, 6 hours before with a rapid test, proof of vaccination, temperature check, sitting in pods, lower capacity all define the arduous process of watching the Yankees, and many other teams, play.
Due to the curve finally flattening, many Americans getting vaccinated, or many Americans having already gotten COVID, restrictions in America are beginning to ease up. To reward Americans, we can finally see the sports teams that so many fervently support.
The ability to see these games comes after a long process proving one does not have COVID through the restrictions mentioned above. These restrictions are not all necessary though. Testing before the game makes sense, but those who have already gotten COVID-19 should not need a test due to the low likelihood of reinfection.
For the most part, these restrictions make sense for the safety of baseball players and fans. Keeping everyone distant and in pods makes it so that everyone is as distanced as possible. Considering how much food is eaten during baseball games, and how masks cannot be worn while eating, this distance allows for everyone to be safe while not wearing a mask. According to the New York Times, “If you’re not vaccinated, make sure your activity meets two out of the following three conditions: outdoors, distanced and masked.” The mask-wearing can be pushed aside while eating outside at the game, but only when everyone is in their pods.
Getting tested may be difficult for many trying to go to a Yankees game, especially getting the test results back within 72 hours, but people have to get tested before they go into the stadium to curb the spread. If it can be proved no one in there tested positive for COVID in the past 72 hours, then the disease will have a much harder time spreading.
The need for these regulations is evident during a pandemic like this, and some could be rolled back, but these struggles are likely here to stay for the near future. All these struggles just to see a Yankees game can be worth it for many fans after waiting so long just to watch their favorite players swing the bat.
