An announcement that was expected to come has officially been made: No fans will be allowed at Rams games to start the 2020 season. The team announced the unfortunate news on Tuesday, saying fans will not be allowed to attend games at SoFi Stadium until further notice. Week 1 against the Cowboys will be played without fans, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Below is the joint statement put out by the Rams, Chargers and SoFi Stadium:
While we all look forward to coming together to celebrate this new era of sports and entertainment in Los Angeles, the health and safety of our fans, community, players and staff remains our top priority. We will continue to work with LA County Department of Public Health and the City of Inglewood on a plan that, when circumstances permit, safely brings fans to SoFi Stadium and adheres to local, State, CDC and NFL guidelines.
This goes along the lines of several other teams across the league who have already said fans will not be allowed to attend games – some even putting a specific timeline on the ban. The Rams, like so many others, will monitor the situation and proceed with caution, putting fans’ heath first.
This news isn’t surprising, but it is especially disappointing for the Rams and Chargers, who are set to open the $5 billion stadium in September. As the most expensive stadium in the country, it’s a venue fans have been itching to visit and catch a game at.
Hopefully for the sake of everyone, the spread of the coronavirus slows down significantly soon, at which point the teams would revisit the possibility of allowing fans.
If public health conditions “significantly improve” and state guidance progresses enough that the Rams, Chargers and SoFi Stadium feel fans can safely attend home games, the teams and the stadium will communicate the news at that time.
Rams season-ticket holders have the option to receive a full refund for their purchases in 2020, or they can defer them towards 2021 season-ticket payments.