CHICAGO (CBS)– It’s a chilly opening day for ballparks in Chicago and with COVID-19 still in play, there are some big changes at Wrigley Field to keep everyone safe.
For the Chicago Cubs’ opening day, there will be fans in the stands. This is one of the first major events in Chicago that’s going to have thousands of people attending since the pandemic. This means, new safety measures are in place.
Masks must be worn at all times and tickets will be mobile only. Your mobile ticket will have information about your site-entry gate and time of entry. You’ll be able to scan the mobile ticket from your phone at a self-scanning machine.
Payment and concessions will also be cashless.
CBS 2’s Mugo Odigwe spoke with Crane Kenney, the Cubs’ president of business operations, live at Wrigley Field.
Kenney said the ballpark is opening with limited capacity at 25%. He said a little more than 10,000 fans will be in attendance Thursday and they’ll be coming in smaller groups to form socially distant pods.
“You’ll have a time for entry, and then you’ll have dedicated concessions and retail and restrooms,” Kenney said. “So we subdivided the ballpark into 20 different zones, think of them as little neighborhoods, your neighborhood will have your own restroom your own concession your own retail your own gate to come in and out of. We’re trying to compartmentalize the ballpark in two separate areas.”
With the digital ticketing, there will also be contact tracing in place.
“We’re excited, we miss our fans,” Kenney said. “Last year having games played without fans was almost like a different sport.”