Whitmer’s Office Releases Statement on Increased Capacity at Tigers Games
I'm all for being safe when it comes to concerts and sporting events but I think the allowed number of fans into a Detroit Tigers game is a bit ridiculous.
As of right now, only 1,000 fans will be allowed into Commerica Park to watch a Detroit Tigers game. Since the venue holds 41,083 people, that is only 2.4% of their official capacity. We're not even talking about an indoor venue, Comerica Park is an outdoor venue and they're only going to allow 1,000 people in? Come on, that's not fair at all.
Statement from Gov. Whitmer's office to WDIV:
From the beginning of the pandemic, our top priority has been the health and safety of Michiganders. In the lead up to Opening Day, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has been in close discussion with the Tigers and the team at Comerica Park to find a safe path forward to expand capacity limits at the stadium. Given our success during the pause to save lives and expansion of vaccine eligibility, we feel confident that our state is making tremendous strides to get back to normal as quickly as possible. There’s nothing more exciting than fans rooting for the Tigers at a home game, and we look forward to making that happen very soon.
While there's no promise of increased capacity in that statement Owner Christopher Ilitch is very confident his franchise will execute the necessary COVID-19 protocols to return fans to the stands. This is what he had to say about the topic last week:
As it relates to attendance capacity, that's going to be guided by government officials and by the health experts. I'm very confident our team is going to be able to execute the protocols and procedures to safely welcome fans back to Comerica Park for Opening Day. Very excited about that.
Detroit will host the Cleveland Indians on April 1 for Opening Day at Comerica Park. The Tigers are scheduled to play a typical 162-game schedule.