New COVID-19 restrictions in California have caused the San Francisco 49ers to play two home games at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale instead.
Arizona does not have any mandatory quarantine requirements for out-of-state visitors. It also lacks a state-wide mask mandate. And these games come fresh off the heels of a large soccer tournament held Thanksgiving weekend with out-of-state teams.
Dr. Shad Marvasti with the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix says allowing this is a bad idea.
“We’re not only going to be a playground, but we’re going to be a breeding ground for COVID-19. It’s definitely a recipe for disaster. Now’s not the time to be promoting tourism or having sports teams come to our home turf,” Marvasti said.
Instead, Marvasti wants the state to concentrate on safety. He recommends using CARES Act money and other funds to pay restaurants to close their indoor operations and pay other high risk businesses to close to mitigate the virus’s spread.
