Thousands of fans were able to attend a sporting event for the first time in a long time at BC Place this past week.
The first event was the BC Lions game on Thursday, August 19. The Vancouver Whitecaps home opener followed on Saturday, August 21.
Both events were at 50% capacity. At times though, it sill looked like a packed house.
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There were 12,500 people in attendance for the first sporting event at BC Place. Seating was at limited capacity with entire rows being left empty. As a matter of fact, every other row was cut-off from seating.
It was only at the exits and half-time lineups were people seemed to gather. Fans exited the same gates at the same time, which meant hundreds being in extremely close proximity at the same time.
Masks were not mandatory, but recommended. Vaccinations were not required to be a spectator either. However, an immunization clinic was set-up outside the stadium for anyone that wanted to get vaccinated and hadn’t done so yet.
Heading to the @WhitecapsFC match tonight? Be sure to stop by and get your shot at the pop-up #COVID19 vaccine clinic on Terry Fox Plaza (Gate A), open until 7:30 PM tonight! @VCHhealthcare #VaxForBC #VWFC pic.twitter.com/QYj5QOLJNq
— BC Place (@bcplace) August 22, 2021
Reaction to the Events at BC Place
There were concerns and criticism over crowd control after the BC Lions game. So in response to that, safety protocols were revisited for the Whitecaps game on Saturday, and it appeared to be better with less complaints seen.
Dr. Bonnie Henry was also seen at both events. She faced criticism for being unmasked at Thursdays’ BC Lions Game, but was seen masked up for the Whitecaps game on Saturday.
HOLY HELL—Chief Health Officer of British Columbia🇨🇦, @DrBonnieHenry, is caught on camera **ENDORSING NO MASKS**—giving a ✌🏻sign to fan shouting “no mask”. She didn’t flinch one bit. Dr Henry notoriously downplays masks. Hence why BC is Florida of 🇨🇦—🧵 pic.twitter.com/wF6QYlE023
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) August 20, 2021
The question now is being raised is whether or not we are ready for events to run at full capacity. B.C. is supposed to enter Phase 4 on September 7th. However, with recent case surges, it’s not certain that we are still on track.
For more local updates across Metro Vancouver, check out our News section.