Gov. Wolf Makes Decision On Fan Attendance At Penguins Games

The Pittsburgh Penguins will once again be allowed to host fans at home games this season.

Gov. Tom Wolf announced the approval of limited attendance at PPG Paints Arena as part of his revised COVID-19 restrictions for the state of Pennsylvania on Monday (March 1.)

The Penguins will be allowed to host fans at 15% capacity, or a total attendance of 2,800, for their 20 remaining home games, according to a news release on their official website.

Tickets will be made available for Tuesday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers on a priority basis to season ticket holders only. The Pens will host 12 more home games during the month of March.

"It is a great day for hockey, indeed, and we are very excited for our fans," said David Morehouse, president and CEO of the Penguins. "We are grateful to Governor Wolf, Health Secretary Alison Beam and their team for their continuous communication and support. We also are thankful for the help and guidance we received from our partners at UPMC for helping us to prepare a detailed plan for a safe re-opening, as well as County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto. We are focused on giving our fans the safest and most efficient experience possible inside PPG Paints Arena - where they belong."

Gov. Wolf also announced his decision to lift out-of-state travel restrictions, as well as other revised mitigation orders on gatherings in Pennsylvania amid a decline in COVID-19 cases and rise in vaccinations.

“Pennsylvania is taking a measured approach to revising or lifting mitigation orders,” Gov. Wolf announced in a press release on Monday (March 1.) “The reason we are seeing cases drop can be attributed, in part, to people following the mitigation efforts we have in place. Mask-wearing, social distancing and hand hygiene are making a difference and need to continue even as we see more and more people fully vaccinated. We need to balance protecting public health with leading the state to a robust economic recovery. We are lifting mitigation efforts only when we believe it is safe to do so.”

The revised mitigations announced on Monday include the following:

• Revised maximum occupancy limits for indoor events to allow for 15% of maximum occupancy, regardless of venue size
• Revised maximum occupancy limits for outdoor events to allow for 20% of maximum occupancy, regardless of venue size.
• Eliminate out-of-state travel restrictions.

The Department of Health initially provided an updated travel order in November 2020, which required any resident over the age of 11 visiting from another state to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test or place themselves in a travel quarantine for 14 days upon entering Pennsylvania.

The state is still advising residents to take caution, despite the changes made on Monday.

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