Game on: Texas to allow pro sports fans at outdoor events

Professional sports fans will be allowed at outdoor events starting Friday, with some caveats to slow the spread of the coronavirus, according to a May 22 revised order by Gov. Greg Abbott.

But leagues must first submit a plan to the Texas Department of State Health Services, incorporating a minimum health protocol guide from the agency. Spectators are only allowed in outdoor venues operating at 25% capacity or less.

Fans still will not be allowed at indoor events under the change, and the loosened restrictions exclude Deaf Smith, El Paso, Moore, Potter and Randall counties.

In an executive order on May 18, Abbott initially said professional sports — golf, auto racing, softball, tennis, football and basketball — would be allowed to resume beginning May 31 without in-person spectators. Days later, he revised the order to allow fans at outdoor pro sports events.

A Texas Department of State Health Services spokeswoman Thursday said the PGA Tour is the only major sports league to submit a plan to the agency so far. The plan does not have to be approved by the agency, she said.

The health agency’s guide for professional sports leagues does not clarify how college sports will move forward, although Abbott said in an interview with KXAN last week that he thinks college football in Texas will begin on schedule with some fans in the stands.

“My prediction is yes, we’re going to have college football beginning as scheduled, on schedule, with at least some level of fans in stands,” Abbott said in the interview.

READ MORE: Abbott predicts college football will return on schedule

Austin health officials remain skeptical of large crowds gathering for University of Texas football games, although the university, not the city, makes final decisions about UT athletics.

“As much as we want things to be back to normal, they are not back to normal yet,” Austin-Travis County Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott told reporters on May 20, adding that he can’t envision large-scale events through the end of the year.

The health agency’s guidelines provide a checklist for pro sports leagues, including a recommendation that spectators and employees keep at least 6 feet of separation from those not in the same household.

“If such distancing is not feasible, other measures such as face covering, hand hygiene, cough etiquette, cleanliness and sanitation should be rigorously practiced,” the guide says.

Athletes are not required to wear face coverings but should wear them on the sidelines.

The guide also offers a plan for handling potential COVID-19 outbreaks among employees, players or contractors.

If other employees, players or contractors have had close contact with a COVID-19 patient, they may not return until the end of a 14-day self-quarantine period. A sick employee or player may not return to work until at least three days after recovery and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

The health agency also strongly recommended regular COVID-19 testing throughout the professional sports season.

It’s not clear if any professional sports in Texas will immediately reopen to fans in outdoor venues.

Michael Tothe, tournament director of the Charles Schwab Challenge, told the Dallas Morning News Thursday that it was too late to add fans to the Fort Worth golf tournament, which begins on June 11.

And the IndyCar season, set to begin June 6 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, won’t have fans either, track president Eddie Gossage told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

A spokeswoman for Austin’s Circuit of the Americas did not return requests for comment about how the track will handle the Formula 1 Grand Prix scheduled for October.