SEATTLE — The cheers will get a little louder. The lines for concessions will get a little longer. And the feel of moving back to life as a sports fans will get a little more normal with more fans being allowed to attend to live sporting events.
The Mariners announced Tuesday that they have received permission from the state of Washington and King County to increase the seating capacity for baseball game at T-Mobile Park, starting with the upcoming homestand that runs June 14-23.
Per the news release, the updated operations plan for expanded seating “allows 26,265 tickets to be sold as vaccine only with no social distancing. The remaining capacity will be sold in socially distanced pods of 1-6 seats for a total of 4,680 seats. Total ballpark capacity under the approved plan is 30,945 (out of 47,000). Private Suites, Diamond Club and All-Star Club are available at full capacity for fully vaccinated guests.”
The Mariners have been operating under the previous state guidelines. They had approximately 9,000 socially-distanced seats available and then added roughly 5,000 seats for fully vaccinated fans.
The current plan is to open to full, non-socially distanced capacity when all COVID-19 restrictions in the state of Washington are lifted on June 30. That will go into effect for the homestand that starts on July 2.
As always, season ticket holders have priority to select locations for the upcoming homestand. Tickets will be available for single-game buyers starting on June 8 at Mariners.com/Tickets.
The Mariners will maintain the same mask policy where fully vaccinated fans are no longer required to wear masks at games. Masks are still required for those fans who are not fully vaccinated. Masks must cover both the nose and mouth at all times except when actively eating or drinking in their assigned seats.
The Mariners will also reopen some previously closed attractions and amenities on June 14, including the Baseball Museum of the Pacific Northwest and Mariners Hall of Fame, Moose Den, Kid’s Corner and Seattle Children’s play areas. The T-Mobile ‘Pen and Trident Deck will remain accessible only to vaccinated fans until further notice.
The Mariners will still offer free vaccinations during games administered by the Seattle Fire Department.
Because of the change in capacity restrictions, the Mariners are making adjustments to the ballpark operations and guidelines.
They include:
Bag and outside food policy as of June 14:
• Clear plastic or vinyl bags are allowed. May not be larger than 12 inches by 8 inches by 12 inches, One-gallon clear plastic zip-top bags are also allowed.
• Small clutch bags no larger than 4.5” x 6.5” are permitted.
• Outside food is permitted in single-serving sizes.
• Sealed, clear plastic water bottles up to 32oz, baby bottles, beverages related to medical needs, and unopened, soft-sided single serve containers like juice boxes are permitted.
Not permitted:
• Clear bags with interior contents obscured by non-clear bags, purses, pouches, etc. Security screeners must be able to see inside and identify all items in each bag. Bags with interior contents obscured from view will not allowed inside the ballpark.
• No backpacks, multi-compartment bags, duffel bags or purses larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches
• Exceptions will be made for medical needs and single compartment diapers bags for parents with small children.
Entry gates:
• Vaccinated fans are directed to enter through the Home Plate and Left Field gates and select lanes at the Center Field and Right Field gates. Before passing through security screening, fans will be asked to show proof of vaccination and will receive a hand stamp.
• Unvaccinated fans will be directed to enter through specified lanes at the Center Field and Right Field Gates.
• The T-Mobile ‘Pen Gates will open a half-hour before all other gates (for example, 4:40 p.m. for a 7:10 p.m. start). The ‘Pen is accessible only to vaccinated fans until further notice.
Vaccinated seating sections:
• Vaccination-only seating sections are open only to fully vaccinated adults.
• Children between the ages of 2-16 must show proof of a negative COVID-19 test.
• Seats are available in all seating categories of the ballpark.
• Private suites, Diamond Club and All-Star Club are available at full capacity for fully vaccinated guests.
