Jets, Giants to have full capacity at NFL games
General view of the Blue and White scrimmage at MetLife Stadium on August 28, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW JERSEY - The governor of New Jersey has cleared the way for the Giants and Jets to play games at MetLife Stadium at full capacity for the 2021 NFL season.
Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday said New Jersey will lift its indoor mask mandate for people vaccinated against COVID-19 beginning on Friday. Also on Friday, the state is lifting the requirement for maintaining 6 feet of social distance at all indoor and outdoor businesses, such as restaurants, retail stores, gyms, casinos, and stadiums.
The announcement comes about a week after the Democratic governor rejected similar mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, saying he wanted "more time on the clock" for people to get vaccinated. New Jersey had been an outlier, with neighboring Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania aligning with the CDC soon after its advice came out.
The state’s vaccination rates have been climbing, with Murphy pledging to fully inoculate 70% of the population by June 30.
The Jets and Giants are co-owners of the stadium, which seats roughly 80,000.