The NBA is planning to have arena suites open to fans at 25-50 per cent capacity for the start of the 2020-21 season, with such numbers subject to the particular restrictions of each market, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Fans, whom commissioner Adam Silver has long said he wants to have back in arenas for the new season, will be forced to follow protocols that include wearing masks, following social distancing rules and taking coronavirus tests. This includes a change to courtside seating, which will now see fans being kept back about 10-12 feet from the court.
While the league (and the world) waits for a clinical vaccine, the reality of learning to live with COVID-19 has dictated its recent actions, including the decision to push ahead with a proposed Dec. 22 start date to the 2020-21 campaign.
