Officials warn of Super Bowl super spreader, but hope for big bowl of nothing
TAMPA, Fla. - Public officials across Tampa Bay urge restraint in celebrating the Bucs' Super Bowl appearance on Sunday.
"Now is not the time for us to talk our eye off the ball," said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. "Stay home. Enjoy the excitement of our Super Bowl win from your home."
In certain public areas, like the Riverwalk, the South Howard entertainment district and Ybor City, crowds will be required to wear masks all weekend. The city says they have 150,000 masks to give out for free.
"We are going to have a lot of people here, which is a good thing for our community. But we have to do it safely," Castor explained.
The Super Bowl comes at an important time in the region's fight against COVID-19 because Florida's seven day rolling average of new cases has been dropping. It was around 18,000 on Jan. 8. Now, it is at about 10,000. Doctors hope the potential super spreader is more of a bowl of nothing.
"We are looking for people to do what we have asked them to do all along and that's be responsible, be respectful, exercise common sense," said Dr. Jay Wolfson, USF's dean of health policy.
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Tampa temporarily expands mask mandate to include outdoor areas during Super Bowl events
In addition to the stadium, Ybor City, the Riverwalk, and SoHo are among the areas where Tampa has expanded its mask mandate. Masks are now required outdoors in locations that will likely see crowds during Super Bowl week.
The appetite for at least outdoor gatherings is certainly there. To keep order at his famed outdoor sports bar, Mark Ferguson is selling tickets and requiring social distancing at Ferg's.
"Everyone will have a seat at the bar or table to get service," Ferguson explained.
He has sold out of 800 tickets and is now asking the city of St. Petersburg to grant him the right to sell more for the parking lot, where he hopes to set up big screens for fans to watch.
"We are so excited to have the Buccaneers at home for the first time in the history of the Super Bowl," he said.
Code enforcement from both the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County will be out in force all weekend to make sure people are wearing masks even outside in large groups.
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