So much for the mayor’s order requiring masks at Super Bowl parties. Throngs of mostly maskless fans take to the streets and pack sports bars as the clock inside Raymond James Stadium ticked down on a hometown Super Bowl win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
To meet coronavirus protocols, the NFL capped the crowd at under 25,000 in a stadium that normally holds some 66,000 fans.
But outside the stadium, crowds of fans who weren’t wearing masks or practicing social distancing could be seen celebrating the Buccaneers’ 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.
In hopes of curbing so-called super-spreader events, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor had signed an executive order requiring people wear face coverings during the Super Bowl festivities, even while they’re outdoors.
“As I’ve told everybody we all know how to avoid COVID-19 and that’s by simply wearing a mask,” Castor tells WFLA. “I’ve been yelling for the Bucs all night long, you can do it with a mask on.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans celebrate their victory over the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LV in a parking lot near Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 7, 2021. (CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)
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