With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rising, the St. Louis Cardinals are bringing back a mask mandate to indoor spaces at Busch Stadium, conforming to a local mask mandate.
The move comes after the CDC issued a new national mask-usage guideline for both the vaccinated and unvaccinated, as research shows the Delta variant is more transmissible than the original COVID-19 virus. Vaccines are proving effective against the Delta variant, but 95 percent of all hospitalizations now come from the unvaccinated.
According to the team, all fans will be asked to wear a mask when entering or circulating the five indoor ticketed club areas, plus the Official Team Store and the Cardinals Authentics Shop at Busch Stadium. The five indoor club areas include the Cardinals Club, Redbird Club, UMB Champions Club, National Car Rental Club, and Perficient Red Jacket Club. Fans do not have to wear masks when actively eating or drinking inside the clubs or in the outdoor seating portions of those clubs.
Fans will also be asked to wear masks in all indoor public spaces at Ballpark Village.
We expect other teams to announce mask mandates in coming days. UPDATE: The Washington Nationals just announced they are mandating mask usage at Nationals Park indoor spaces, while the Miami Marlins will mandate them after this weekend’s series.