Raider fans head into Allegiant Stadium following a ribbon cutting ceremony at Allegiant Stadium before a preseason game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Seattle Seahawks Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021.
Monday, Aug. 16, 2021 | 8:34 p.m.
The Raiders announced Monday that all fans will be required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to attend games at Allegiant Stadium this season.
The policy will go into effect for the regular-season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 13, with fans using a mobile app to register their vaccine status. Spectators will not be required to wear masks inside the stadium.
The Raiders are the first NFL team to announce such a policy for the 2021 season.
The Raiders moved to Las Vegas for the 2020 campaign and played all eight home games without fans, as franchise owner Mark Davis adopted an “all or nothing” stance when it came to attendance during the pandemic. Las Vegas played its first game in front of fans on Saturday, when the Raiders hosted the Seattle Seahawks in the preseason opener. Fans were required to wear masks, and the official attendance was announced as 50,101.
In a statement, Davis said he made the decision to require vaccinations after discussing the issue with Gov. Steve Sisolak.
“Health and safety has always been our No. 1 priority,” Davis said. “After consultation with Gov. Sisolak and other community leaders, this policy ensures that we will be able to operate at full capacity without masks for fully vaccinated fans for the entire season.”
The Raiders will offer vaccination stations at Allegiant Stadium before home games; fans who receive the vaccine on the spot will be allowed to go inside the stadium provided they wear a mask.
Earlier Monday, Sisolak gave large-capacity venues in Nevada the option to bypass the indoor mask mandate by requiring attendees to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19.
To opt in, venues like Allegiant Stadium must have fixed, ticketed seating for an attendance above 4,000, said Sisolak, noting that a verification system would have to be in place and staff would be trained to distinguish between the fully vaccinated and the partially inoculated.
Children under 12, who are yet not eligible for the shot, would have to be masked.
Currently, nearly 1,300 people are hospitalized in Nevada with suspected cases of COVID-19, 273 of whom are occupying intensive care unit beds, and 201 are on ventilators, data shows.
The state is reporting nearly 374,000 confirmed cases and at least 6,190 deaths since the onset of the pandemic last March.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
