SALT LAKE CITY — Wednesday was the first Utah Jazz home game with Salt Lake County’s new mask mandate in place.
The mandate is nothing new to returning Jazz fans. Face-coverings were required all of last season.
If it keeps the Vivint Arena from going back to the days of limited fans in the stands, people like Dylan Gallup said they’re happy to help protect the community.
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“At least for me, when the 2020 season was delayed for a little bit, it hit me right where it hurts. It was sad for a while not being able to watch them play,” he said. “So whatever we need to do to keep our boys out on the court I think is cool.”
“Just means we have to yell louder when we cheer for the Jazz,” said Mckenna Gallup.
Other fans like Hadley Condie described the requirement as a “bummer” but also said she is fine following it.
“Of course we want to keep everyone safe and do our part, but while we’re vaccinated, it’s kind of like, why are we still having to do this if we are vaccinated?” she said.
The arena continues to require crowds to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.
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Wednesday was not the first event in the arena since the mandate went into effect Saturday. Vivint Arena spokesperson Frank Zang said they already hosted a handful of events since then and saw no issue with compliance.
“We’ve had excellent cooperation from people. They are accustomed to coming to the Vivint Arena and wearing their mask,” he said.
The requirement could change if the Salt Lake County Council votes to overturn the mandate in its Thursday emergency session.
