Packers Put Hold on Allowing Fans at Lambeau Field Because of COVID-19 Concerns

The Green Bay Packers will not be hosting fans at Lambeau Field anytime soon as the coronavirus continues to surge across Wisconsin. 

Green Bay announced an "indefinite hold" on allowing fans to attend home games Tuesday after Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared the state "one of the country's hot spots" while announcing public gatherings at indoor public spaces must be held at 25 percent capacity.

"We are very concerned with the rate of infection in our area," Packers CEO and president Mark Murphy wrote in a statement. "We are trending in the wrong direction in terms of hospitalization and positive cases, and based on recommendations from community healthcare and public health officials, hosting fans at the stadium for games is not advisable at this time." 

Murphy also encouraged fans to continue to socially distance, wear masks in public, wash their hands and limit the amount of people at Packers watch parties on game days to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

He added that he hopes there will be enough improvement in rates of COVID-19 for fans to be able to attend games: 

"We'd all like to resume safely attending games at Lambeau Field. We know enjoying gameday is an integral part of our community and recognize how important it is to our area. However, the health and safety of our players, staff and community is our priority. We all need to take the pandemic seriously and do our part to reduce the spread of the virus, which should lead to significant improvement in the rates of infection and hospitalizations. At that point we'll be able to experience games in person." 

The Packers will not play again at Lambeau Field until a Week 8 divisional matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. They have a bye in Week 5 before visiting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6 and the Houston Texans in Week 7. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Wisconsin has seen more than 17,000 new cases of COVID-19 within the last seven days, with 2,437 new cases per 100,000 people.