Photo credit: Fiserv Forum
While rumblings had been in place since the beginning of the month, the Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum officially announced a plan to allow 10% capacity at home games for the remainder of the season on Tuesday. City officials approved the COVID-19 protocols on Monday, with an official announcement being made by Bucks president Peter Feigin and Mayor Tom Barrett and officials from the Milwaukee Health Department in the atrium of the arena on Tuesday.
Tuesday night’s home game vs. the Toronto Raptors will feature just 250 fans in attendance, limited to friends and family of the team and staff, similar to late home games from the Green Bay Packers at the end of their season. For the following games, attendance will gradually increase to around 1,800 fans, and just over 2,000 people total including Fiserv Forum staff. After the first half of the season concludes on March 6, the team and the Milwaukee Health Department will look at increasing that number to possibly 25% capacity.
Per the COVID-19 protocols, fans will be asked to remain in their socially distanced seats for the duration of the game. All fans will be required to wear masks, and tickets will only be sold in groups of two or four to prevent larger groups from sitting together. Timed entry windows will also prevent crowding in the arena atrium and common areas. In a partnership with Fiserv, the team has also developed a revolutionary contactless concession ordering system, in which fans will be able to purchase food and drinks from throughout the arena using the Bucks mobile app, and then pick them up at the top of their section within minutes.
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Milwaukee becomes just the 12th city in the NBA to allow any fans, with most arenas permitting around 10% of their capacity currently. The highest percentage in the league belongs to the Houston Rockets, who are allowing 25% of the Toyota Center, or approximately 4,500 people in the building for games.
The NBA has been complying with state and local medical officials for allowed attendance, and the league was largely applauded for their safety precautions for players and staff at the tail end of the 2019-20 season. The Bucks, along with several other teams in the league, participated in the NBA “bubble” in Orlando, which allowed teams in playoff contention to finish out their seasons safely at Walt Disney World.
Current full season ticket members and 2021-22 season ticket holders will have access to a presale for games for the first half of the season. Remaining ticket inventory will go on sale via Bucks.com at 12 p.m. on Thursday. Ticket information and COVID-19 protocols can be found on the Milwaukee Bucks website.
