The possibility of Brewers fans attending games at Miller Park in 2020 is more likely if fans start wearing masks ASAP, said a Brewers executive on Tuesday.
“I’m very hopeful that we’ll be able to have fans. Clearly, that will be determined based on how the public responds, and not just in our city, but across all markets of Major League Baseball,” said Milwaukee Brewers Senior Vice President of Stadium Operations Steve Ethier during a news conference.
“We all need to do the right thing. We need to be wearing our masks. We need to be washing our hands. We need to be watching our distance. If all those things happen, hopefully we can reverse this trend and the trajectory that has been going, frankly, the wrong direction the last few weeks, and get back to baseball and offer the entertainment the public really craves.”
The upward trend in positive tests over the last month has led public health officials and lawmakers to mandate wearing masks in places like Milwaukee, with the hope that it will create a new downturn in cases and allow for the opening of more elements of society.
Ethier says such a downward trend is critical for leaders to allow fans to attend games at Miller Park and across MLB, and both they and the City of Milwaukee Health Department must give the go-ahead for fans to attend. Milwaukee is currently in Phase 4 of its re-opening process, but the city has not yet reached what it considers to be Phase 5 criteria to re-open the stadium for fans to attend games.
“It is a combination of both Major League Baseball and the city public health department. We need to be in lockstep with our city public health officials, which we certainly are. Once Major League Baseball gives the teams the green light, the Commissioner’s Office expects that teams will have already been in close contact with their public health officials, and they’re able to take steps safely.”