New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the New Orleans Saints have agreed to a "phased and deliberate pilot approach" to allow fans to attend Saints games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the Saints announced Tuesday.
The approach will begin with fans in attendance at Saturday's Saints home game against the Carolina Panthers.
Season ticket holders will have access to 3,000 tickets for the Saints-Panthers contest.
Tuesday's announcement comes following the Saints exploring the option of playing home games at Louisiana State University's Tiger Stadium so they could have fans in attendance. Previously, the Saints were prohibited from hosting fans due to local restrictions.
An increase in crowd size will only be possible if current trends in terms of COVID-19 numbers "remain stable" and then a possible capacity increase to 6,000 would be possible for upcoming games against the San Francisco 49ers (Nov. 15) and Atlanta Falcons (Nov. 22).
A plan for further increases would follow, with the aim of 15,000 for December games against the Kansas City Chiefs (Dec. 20) and Minnesota Vikings (Christmas).
Health and safety protocols at the Superdome will be followed and monitored with the mayor's office also "strictly enforcing crowd gatherings throughout the Central Business District and French Quarter on game days to ensure all city regulations are being observed," per the release.
Within the release, the Saints and the major's office encouraged fans to wear masks, practice good hygiene and social distancing.
