Phillies update their mask policy
The Phillies officially announced Friday morning that fans will no longer be required to wear a mask in outdoor spaces and seating areas inside Citizens Bank Park. That doesn’t mean Phillies fans should keep their masks at home.
Fans are still required to wear a mask when occupying indoor areas inside the ballpark. These spaces include the Diamond Club, Hall of Fame Club concourse, elevators, retail stores and restrooms. Gameday employees are still required to wear a mask at all times. Unvaccinated guests are strongly encouraged to continue to wear their masks in all outdoor and indoor spaces in and outside the ballpark.
City officials recently lifted Philadelphia’s outdoor mask mandate. Thursday signaled the last day the order was in effect.
Starting Friday, the Phillies are also increasing seating capacity to 16,000. The team averaged a paid attendance of 11,389 in the series against the Marlins.
Citizens Bank Park is scheduled to return to full capacity beginning June 12. For now, don’t expect the ballpark experience to be much different than it has been since the beginning of the regular season. The Diamond Club, however, will be opening up at 45 percent capacity for the area’s ticketholders this weekend. There will be no wait service, but concessions will be open.
Tailgating will make its triumphant return once the ballpark moves to 100 percent capacity. At that time, all parking lots should be available for fans to utilize. For now, fans will have to wait to gather with friends and enjoy beers outside the stadium.
As the season progresses, the team hopes to bring back certain events as COVID-19 restrictions ease. The Phillies have not yet made a decision on whether or not they will hold the annual Phillies Phestival at some point later this year. The event, which is usually held in May to benefit the ALS Association Greater Philadelphia Chapter, was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
If the event is held this year, do not expect players to interact with fans in person. The likelihood of Phillies players directly interacting with fans at a team event is very low considering that players and coaches still have to adhere to strict COVID-19 protocols.
Postgame concerts are unlikely to return this summer as well.
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