Amarillo Sod Poodles & Texas Rangers Change Mask Policy For Fans
Baseball in Texas is getting a little closer to normal.
On Thursday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that citizens who have been fully vaccinated will no longer have to wear mask indoors or outdoors. The exception is when traveling on trains, planes, subways, and buses. Other than that, if you have been vaccinated, the CDC says you should be fine removing your masks.
Hours after that announcement, different businesses and event locations were coming up with ideas on how to handle masks.
On Thursday, the Amarillo Sod-Poodles announced that after discussions with Major League Baseball, fans would no longer be required to wear masks while attending Sod Poodles baseball games at Hodgetown in Amarillo. The Sod Poodles also announced that the buffer zones behind the dugouts and bullpens will be eliminated. The new guidelines will be in effect beginning May 18th.
In Major League Baseball, the Texas Rangers announced that fans at Globe Life Field will only see that masks are recommended versus required. According to WFAA, the Rangers consulted with Major League Baseball after the CDC announcement.
This is a change from when a mask requirement that had previously been in place, though it didn't appear to be strictly enforced, as seen in images from a packed home opener last month.
The new stance on masks comes after the team said the Major League Baseball’s minimum policy on face coverings for attendees was eliminated, though, clubs, according to the MLB, must continue to abide by any applicable state and local requirements on face coverings. There is no statewide mask requirement currently in Texas.
The Rangers announced they will continue to be cashless at Globe Life Field and that hand sanitizing stations will continue to be available.
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