CHICAGO — As Illinois and the city of Chicago drop their mask mandate for most indoor places, the United Center is also updating its policies when it comes to events held at the venue.
On Monday, the home of the Blackhawks and Bulls announced it will allow fans to either present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for admission to the venue. Since early January, only fans who were vaccinated were allowed to attend events.
The United Center has also made masks optional whereas before they were required to be worn except when eating and drinking.
These new guidelines will first go into effect on March 3 when the Blackhawks host the Edmonton Oilers. The first Bulls’ game with the updated rules is the next night against the Milwaukee Bucks.
R & B group New Edition headline the first concert with these new COVID-19 rules on March 5.
The United Center has had no capacity limits for fans during the Blackhawks & Bulls 2021-2022 seasons, which was a definite change from 2020 and early 2021. In the reduced season for each team, only a few fans were allowed into games in May as the conclusion of their regular season.
It’s been almost two years since the venue hosted the two biggest events in the city before the COVID-19 pandemic essentially shut down the city. On March 10, 2020, the Bulls defeated the Cavaliers in their final game before NBA shutdown their season the next night.
March 11, 2020 was the last event at the United Center with no restrictions as the Blackhawks defeated the Sharks before the NHL shutdown the next day.