Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald is encouraging sports and entertainment venues to create special sections for vaccinated spectators, following a proposal by the Pittsburgh Penguins to create such a section for fans.
“I would encourage all of our sports teams, all of our venues, theaters, the opera, the symphony, the Playhouse, etc., to go ahead and think about the same thing,” he said during a virtual news briefing.
Fitzgerald said the county government is already considering similar measures for its summer concert series at Hartwood Acres and South Park.
By the time the series begins in early June, he noted, everyone in the county will have had the ability to receive a vaccine.
“I think now that we’re getting two-thirds of the population with at least one shot in the arm and the significant amount of people who’ve been vaccinated, those folks can feel safe when they’re together,” he said. “They don’t need to be 6 feet apart. They don’t need to be wearing their masks if everybody’s been vaccinated.”
Pittsburgh-based Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said the idea of “vaccinated section” could be easily implemented in venues such as PPG Paints Arena with common technology.
For example, he said, venues could partner with an app developer to give customers a way to prove their vaccine status before entering the event. The venue’s security staff could scan a QR code presented by the customer, just as is done for tickets.
“This is a good move,” Adaja said. “I think it really reflects the confidence we have in the vaccines and how vaccines are a path to reclaiming your life.”
Fitzgerald’s comments come a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidelines allowing most Americans to forgo mask-wearing while outdoors.
The guidelines say fully vaccinated Americans don’t need to wear masks outdoors anymore, unless they’re in a crowd with strangers. Unvaccinated people can also forgo masks when they are walking, biking or running alone, with members of their household or gathering in small groups with vaccinated people.
Masks are still recommended for crowded outdoor events like concerts or sporting events, and in all indoor public spaces.
Health experts called the move “long overdue” and supported by data. Covid-19 transmission outdoors is rare, experts say, because of better ventilation and social distancing.
Dr. Debra Bogen, the county’s health director, said the change was a positive step as the county moves toward the end of the pandemic.
“This is really encouraging news, and illustrates the importance of getting vaccinated,” Bogen said. “It moves us closer to normalcy, but we need everyone to get vaccinated if we want complete normalcy.”
Bogen said people should continue to practice physical distancing when others are around, even while outside, while not everyone around is fully vaccinated.
“We still have lots of cases here, and it’s a simple act of respect for others, to look out for their health, even if you are protected,” Bogen said.
While Bogen cautioned that the county is still in its “fourth wave” of cases, she predicted it is “on the other side of the peak.”
Cases have declined in recent weeks, from an average of 400 cases a day two weeks ago to 275 cases a day in the last week. The positivity rate is also decreasing, now at 6.9%, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health — down from nearly 9% earlier this month.
Hospitalizations have decreased slightly, but Bogen noted those younger than 65 are now making up the majority of hospitalizations in the county — following national trends.
More than 65% of Allegheny County’s adult population has received at least one shot of a covid vaccine, county officials said – nearly two-thirds of the population.
Teghan Simonton is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Teghan at 724-226-4680, tsimonton@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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