The National Football League will not seek to circumvent guidance established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and get COVID-19 vaccine priority before the Super Bowl in February, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN on Monday.
"We are not planning on any of our personnel being vaccinated in advance of the Super Bowl," Goodell told ESPN. "That's obviously being done at higher levels and given priority to obviously healthcare workers, first responders, and those that are in the riskiest state. We don't fall into those categories, so we don't anticipate that, and we're not planning for that."
Goodell's remarks come one day after he attended the Minnesota Vikings game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, site of the NFL's championship game set for Feb. 7.
It also comes on the day the first doses of the vaccine to inoculate against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 were distributed.
Goodell added the NFL will play the game with as many fans as can be accommodated "safely," despite a report in October that said the league planned to host the game at about one-fifth the capacity of the Buccaneers' 65,000-seat Raymond James Stadium, or about 13,000.
"We're going to try to bring in as many fans as we can safely do into Raymond James Stadium," Goodell said. "I'm not sure there is a specific number that we are confident saying, 'This is what it will be,' but obviously our focus will be on keeping them safe, whoever's in."
In early October, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis eliminated all statewide restrictions on capacity, allowing sports teams to open stadia to full capacity.
However, NFL teams have remained at no more than 25%.
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