The Dallas Cowboys on Thursday revealed their plan to make their home of AT&T Stadium as safe as possible for fans in 2020 amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The team announced its Safe Stadium Policy, which will include a limited stadium capacity with tickets distributed in seat blocks "known as 'pods' to maintain distance between groups who are not known to one another." Fans will be required to "maintain pod integrity by only transferring tickets to family or friends within their trusted group," per the team's release, which is part of the limited capacity planned in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, state of Texas, and local public safety and public health authorities.
The policy will also require all in attendance to wear masks, enter using mobile-only ticketing, pay for all food, beverage, parking and retail with major credit and debit cards only (no cash), and go through frictionless security scanning by passing through 60 socially distanced metal detectors to enter the stadium.
"These are challenging and unprecedented times for our country, our community, and our Cowboys fans at home in Texas and all around the world," Cowboys EVP Charlotte Jones said in the release. "Amidst the difficulties brought on by COVID-19, our focus has been to safely bring football back to our community. We are deeply grateful for the patience, understanding, and support our fans have shown during these historic and turbulent times as we continue to prepare for a successful season.
"Bringing football back will require the ultimate team effort, and we are so proud of the hard work our front line professionals have put in at the stadium and across our organization to ensure our fans, players, and employees have a safe and rewarding experience. The Dallas Cowboys value health and safety as our first priority, and we will continue to work closely with local public safety and public health professionals, the CDC and the NFL to ensure that our unrivaled fan experience at AT&T Stadium is the safest and best it can possibly be. There will be many changes this year, and we are deeply grateful for the understanding and support from our dedicated fans."
On Wednesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed complete confidence in his organization's and his fanbase's ability to create and participate in a safe environment for enjoying football.
"We have a real unique situation and I think that we're going to be able to really have a great experience," Jones said.
As expected, rigorous cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention methods will be implemented throughout the 2020 season at AT&T Stadium. For now, the exact number of fans allowed to attend remains unknown, and could be subject to change as the ongoing pandemic continues to evolve, but the Cowboys are planning to welcome their passionate fans home in 2020.