Mocs News Reporting the news that matters most to UTC
By: Justin Glover
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. (mocsnews.com) “It is a little frustrating because we have worked so hard,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said during an early Monday morning news conference with the Super Bowl Host Committee. Castor said according to ESPN, “At this point in dealing with COVID-19, there is a level of frustration when you see that.”
A majority of the people in Tampa Bay have been following the guidelines, however numbers of cases have spiked after the Super Bowl. With the Super Bowl taking place this year in unprecedented times, the normal routine of the big game had to be changed.
To accommodate fans and an attempt to fight the pandemic, the NFL limited the number of fans in Raymond James Stadium to 25,000 tickets. Executive orders had been signed requiring fans to wear masks and could face up to a $500 fine if they refuse as this story from AP Newsroom mentions. Due to this increase in demand for such a small amount of tickets, This article explains how the price increased to around $7,589 for the average ticket price.
This is not the first time the City of Tampa has faced something like this. In the fall, The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup. According to the mayor, spikes in COVID-19 cases after this Stanley Cup celebration did not appear. The state of Florida has seen over 5,000 new daily cases every single day for the past month. According to Florida Health website, just under 30,000 people have passed away due to COVID-19 and just under 700,000 people have received their vaccine.
Despite all these threats of fines and large numbers of cases, Castor said the city is planning an official celebration to be held for the Buccaneers title later this week. “This win was from the Buccaneer team but this win was for our entire community,” she said. “They deserve to be able to celebrate with the team. Everybody will be able to participate and participate safely.”
