Ten fans who attended the Kansas City Chiefs home opener against the Houston Texans on Thursday (September 10) were told they must quarantine for two weeks after another fan tested positive for COVID-19. The Chiefs were just one of three teams that allowed fans into the stadium for Week 1. The Chiefs welcomed 15,895 fans as the team unfurled its Super Bowl championship banner. Fans were seated far apart throughout the stadium, which has a capacity of 76,000 people.
One day after the game, a fan who enjoyed the game with a group of friends from a box seat on the lower level tested positive for the virus. The team immediately tracked down and contacted the fans who were in close proximity and told them needed to quarantine for 14 days. Health officials praised the Chiefs for their coronavirus protocols, which helped limit the exposure to just ten people.
All fans were required to wear masks when entering the stadium, and the team spaced them out across the stadium. The team also made changes to the concessions to avoid large crowds gathering to buy food and drinks.
Once the team learned about the positive test, they contacted the health department and used scanned data from parking and tickets and video surveillance to quickly identify where the fan had been and who they interacted with while at the stadium.
"Within hours of being notified, the Chiefs were able to pinpoint the names of the other members of the party as well as detailed information about the path and location of entry, and this information was provided to the Health Department. The tracing capabilities at the stadium allow the extension of communication to learn more about the guest's activity the days leading up to and after the game Thursday night," the Chiefs said in a statement.
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