Okay, so it won't be at 100 percent capacity, but after a season of fan-less baseball games in 2020, it'll be nice to see people enjoying games at Chicago's ballparks in 2021.

If you don't feel like doing the math (and I didn't), you start by looking at the capacity of each stadium. Capacity at Wrigley Field is 41,649. Capacity at Guaranteed Rate Field is 40,615. I don't know why, but both Joe Dredge and I thought that Guaranteed Rate was much larger in capacity than Wrigley Field...and we were both wrong, as you can see.

20 percent of Wrigley Field's capacity would allow for 8,274 fans on the North Side for opening day, while 20 percent of Guaranteed Rate Field's capacity would net them 8,122 fans on the South Side.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot seemingly found a much-needed bit of good news in her announcement yesterday, but was quick to point out that a spike in Illinois' COVID-19 numbers would result in further restrictions, including a draw-down of fan numbers allowed into Chicago MLB games. However, if we keep our numbers down, the mayor indicated that the percentages of fans allowed in would continue to go up.

WGN TV News reports that the enhancements and operational measures to mitigate COVID-19 risk include:

  • Limited contact entry
  • Cashless concessions and retail
  • Additional restrooms per guest
  • Reduced queueing times
  • Reconfigured indoor spaces

As you might imagine, the Illinois Restaurant Association is on board with Mayor Lightfoot's plan, as are the many local bars and restaurants in the areas of both ballparks.

Here's how Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot made her ballpark capacity announcement on Twitter:


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