Dolphins allowed to have fans at Hard Rock Stadium

The Miami Dolphins will be allowed to have fans in the stands when they host the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 of the 2020 regular season in four weeks, according to a report from Miami’s Fox Sports 640 host Andy Slater. The Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium will be allowed 13,000 fans, which is 20 percent of the site’s capacity, to allowed for coronavirus social distancing and safety protocols.

According to Slater, there is a 46-page set of protocols the stadium will use to ensure fans are safe and the risk of the spread of COVID-19 is minimized. Slater, in a tweet Friday, reported Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez visited Hard Rock Stadium and was impressed with the protocols being put in place if fans would be allowed.

The Dolphins have confirmed the 13,000 capacity number. “When we started the process back in March of exploring what a socially-distanced stadium could look like, we made the health and safety of everyone the first priority; knowing that if we felt that we couldn’t make it safe, we simply wouldn’t have fans,” said Miami Dolphins Vice Chairman and CEO Tom Garfinkel via a release from the team. “We’re happy that our elected officials recognize the attention to detail and diligence that we’ve put into creating a safe environment and that they made the decision to move forward with a 13,000-capacity stadium at this time.”

Protocols will include socially distanced seating clusters, faces masks to be worn at all times when not eating or drinking, upgraded air filters in all air conditioning units, touchless entry at more locations to prevent bottlenecking, staggered gate entry times, touchless security screening and metal detectors allowing fans to keep things in their pockets, all toilets and sinks will be automatic, and no tailgating for the season.

Season ticket members will be given priority to attend games, based on tenure. Season ticket members will also be given an option to roll their 2020 payments into the 2021 season, without losing tenure, seats, or benefits. Suite and single-game ticket information will be provided at a later time.