Chiefs may be the champs, but allowing fans at Arrowhead amid COVID is a losing plan

The Kansas City Chiefs’ decision to allow a limited number of fans at their first three home games this season is a risky miscalculation that could fuel the spread of the coronavirus.

While the home opener on Sept. 10 is still three weeks away, there’s no doubt that the COVID-19 threat will still loom large here.

City Hall should re-examine its endorsement of the Chiefs’ dangerous proposal.

The team said Monday it will welcome about 16,800 fans, or 22% of Arrowhead Stadium’s capacity, at the first game against the Houston Texans and the two home games after that.

There will be strict regulations for fans. Masks are required except when eating or drinking. Bags are prohibited. Cash is banned. Spitting isn’t allowed.

“We believe we can do this in a safe way,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan told The Star Editorial Board Tuesday. “But it only works if our fans are disciplined and follow the rules.”

Tailgating is OK, but only with fans who share a ticket pod — that is, spectators who will sit near each other inside the stadium.

Those precautions, and others, are necessary. But it’s still virtually certain that someone in the stadium on Sept. 10 will be infected with COVID-19. And it’s far from clear that the rules will fully protect other fans, players and staff members from contracting the coronavirus or passing it to others, even if the guidelines are enforced.

That’s why it’s strange, and contradictory, for Kansas City’s health department and Mayor Quinton Lucas to endorse the team’s plans.

Lucas recently criticized some Kansas City bars for failing to enforce mask requirements or require social distancing. On Tuesday, he said a Chiefs game is less risky because it’s outdoors.

“I see a very big difference between an indoor dance party with 150 people in a tiny space, versus 16,000 in a seated stadium … where they have to follow procedures,” he said. “I actually think you’re probably going to be safer going to a Kansas City Chiefs game than you might be going out to dinner indoors.”

That may or may not be true, but it’s largely irrelevant. It may be safer to ride a bicycle down the middle of a crowded street than to walk there, but both activities are hazardous.

Interestingly, Lucas — a vocal and visible Chiefs fan — said he may not go to Arrowhead Stadium. “I understand the risk,” he said. “I don’t know if I plan to go to a Chiefs game this year.”

Rex Archer, the city’s health director, seems equally equivocal. “Is it going to work? I think that remains to be seen,” he told The Star Editorial Board. “I think it’s worth a try.” That’s hardly reassuring.

Kansas City just extended the COVID-19 emergency through the end of this year. Businesses trying to follow the rules and slow the spread of the disease now will be justified in questioning the city’s commitment to those goals.

And who will enforce the Chiefs’ safety guidelines? Lucas said he does not expect the city’s police department to supervise tailgating or oversee public health precautions inside the stadium. The team has always struggled with enforcing rules governing fans’ behavior.

Donovan promised layers of enforcement, including police and stadium security, but admitted “there’s a risk to this.” Fans will be cheering, eating, using the restroom. Preventing the spread of COVID-19 will be enormously difficult.

“We know this is going to be a challenge,” he said. At the same time, he said, as Super Bowl champions, “we are the marquee game” heading into the NFL’s first weekend.

Yes, the timing is terrible. Chiefs fans waited decades for a Super Bowl victory and now are eager to cheer the team on and build on that success. But in the midst of a pandemic, health and safety must take precedence.

Other NFL teams have made different decisions. The Atlanta Falcons won’t have fans in September. The Chicago Bears won’t have spectators for the foreseeable future. The stands in Green Bay will be empty for the first two home games.

The Las Vegas Raiders will have no fans in their stadium this year. The New York Giants and Jets will play before empty seats. The New Orleans Saints’ stadium will be vacant for their first game.

Prudence in our region is lacking. And it isn’t just the Chiefs: The University of Missouri and Kansas State University will play in front of fans this fall. Sporting KC is already on the record allowing a limited number of fans to attend home games. Lucas says the Royals have talked with him about opening Kauffman Stadium to spectators if and when Major League Baseball agrees.

Sports are an important part of our lives, but they are not essential. Allowing spectators to watch games in person will slow progress in the battle against the coronavirus. That, in turn, will lead to more sickness while delaying the day the nation returns to normal.

The Chiefs are part of that problem. They should reconsider their decision to open Arrowhead’s gates and instead ask fans to cheer on the Super Bowl champions from the safety of their couches.

This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 5:00 AM.