The Yankees are excited to welcome fans back to Yankee Stadium for Opening Day and the 2021 season, and the club has prioritized health and safety while adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines and protocols.

In preparation for fans’ arrival, the Yankees have worked closely with the State of New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City of New York, Major League Baseball, and other health and safety experts to utilize the best and most responsible practices in the facility.

The Stadium will be permitted to operate at 20% capacity to start the season, and guests will be seated in “pods” separated by empty seats. COVID-related signage will be posted throughout the building, including on hundreds of TVs on all concourse levels. Hand sanitizer dispensers will be located in all publicly trafficked locations.

Fans should visit www.yankees.com/updates, for all need-to-know information prior to coming to Yankee Stadium, including policies related to entrance requirements (including testing/vaccine verification prior to entry, mask usage and social-distancing guidelines) and permitted activities while at the game.

Yankee Stadium will continue to operate as a vaccination center for Bronx residents through at least April 30. The site began operation on February 5 and was established through a partnership between New York State, New York City, the New York Yankees, SOMOS Community Care and the New York National Guard. It was developed to not only directly address the Bronx's concerning positivity rate — which was the highest among all New York City boroughs — but to also further the State's and City's mandate for fairness and social equity in the vaccine distribution process.

The vaccination site is open today and tomorrow from 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. When the season starts, it will be open from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on the mornings of night games, and from 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on all days when the team is on the road or idle. The only dates through April 30 when the Stadium site will not administer vaccines are those with scheduled home day games for the Yankees (4/1, 3, 4, 17, 18) or NYCFC (4/24). Of special note, the site operated on a 24/7 basis from 3/4-10.

· By Opening Day, the Yankees anticipate to have administered more than 80,000 doses of vaccine to more than 52,000 people, including approximately 38,000 people receiving the Pfizer vaccine and approximately 14,000 receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is the vaccine all new recipients will receive through the end of April. Pfizer recipients requiring a second dose will continue to receive them at the Stadium through mid-April.

· As appointments become available (for qualifying Bronx residents only), they may be scheduled by visiting www.somosvaccinations.com.

To celebrate the incredible work done by the vaccination staff at Yankee Stadium, representatives of the various organizations collaborating on the effort will be seated in the Judge’s Chambers at Thursday’s Opener. In subsequent games, other frontline healthcare heroes will populate the section. The Yankees also would like to offer a special note of recognition to Cindy Kamradt, Yankees Director of Stadium Planning & Special Projects who has spearheaded the club’s operational effort at the Yankee Stadium site, which has saved lives and profoundly impacted the local community. 

On Opening Day, the Judge’s Chambers will feature:

·    Robert Bristol, Program Manager, Health and Medical, NYC Office of Emergency Management

·    Pam Vittini, SOMOS Director of Operations

·    Dr. Ramon Tallaj, SOMOS Chairman

·    Katherine Santana, SOMOS nurse

·    Judith Schaper, SOMOS nurse

·    Matthew Alilionis, Regional Director, NYS Dept of Homeland Security

·    Jeremy Shockett, N.Y. State Deputy Secretary for Public Safety

·    Sgt. Mousa Aboura, National Guard

·    Sgt. Josefry Pimentel, National Guard

·    Sgt. Ian Merritt, National Guard (from the Bronx)

To further enhance Stadium health and safety, last August, in conjunction with the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), Yankee Stadium became the first sports and entertainment venue in the world to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management (www.wellcertified.com). The rating requirements, which have been fulfilled by the club, serve as a blueprint for best operating procedures to help combat COVID-19, while also providing world-class standards for overall health and safety. By achieving this designation, which has been confirmed by a third-party verifier, Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the club can operate with confidence that they are utilizing best practices for players and staff, and that they are appropriately prepared to accommodate the reintroduction of fans.

The evidence-based, third-party verified rating focuses on cleaning and sanitization procedures, air and water quality management, emergency preparedness programs, health service resources, and stakeholder engagement and communications. Launched in June 2020 and created by IWBI, the WELL Health-Safety Rating is informed by guidance developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), global disease control and prevention centers and emergency management agencies, recognized standard-making bodies, and leading academic and research institutions.