We will see fans at Nationals Park, as the Washington Nationals received permission from the District of Columbia to host 5,000 spectators to begin the 2021 MLB season.
The District had earlier denied entreated from the Nationals and MLB to host fans to begin the season.
“We are happy to welcome a limited number of the best fans in baseball back home to Nationals Park on Opening Day,” said Mark Lerner, managing principal owner of the Nationals, via press statement. “Our organization has worked tirelessly with the District of Columbia, nationally-renowned health experts, including Crown & Company, whose principals have guided FIFA and the IOC, and also Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, as well as Major League Baseball, to craft protocols to ensure the safety and well-being of our players, coaches, employees, and our fans as we reopen the ballpark to the public. We look forward to increasing our capacity in the coming weeks. We cannot wait to have our fans in the stands again, wearing red and cheering on the Nats, as we begin our quest for another World Championship.”
As with every other MLB team, the Nationals will work with local officials on plans to expand capacity as the season progresses. The team is set to host a nationally televised night game on Opening Day as part of the ESPN coverage, but the team will be looking to entertain more fans as soon as the next April 15 homestand. Priority access to tickets for the opening series will be limited to NATS PLUS members based on tenure and ticket package size.
The Nats will be implementing the standard MLB COVID-19 mitigation plan: paperless tickets, contactless concessions with prepackaged offerings, blocked-off sections near player areas, assigned entry and exit gates, mandatory masks and pods of 1-6 people.
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