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After playing the entire 2020 NFL season without fans in their home stadium, the Seahawks, the city of Seattle, and the state of Washington as a whole, got some good news on Thursday:
Gov. Jay Inslee today announced that the state is moving toward a statewide June 30 reopening date and that all counties in Washington will move to Phase 3 of the Healthy WA: Roadmap to Recovery reopening plan effective May 18 until June 30.
The state’s press release goes on to say:
The full reopening could happen earlier than June 30 if 70% or more of Washingtonians over the age of 16 initiate vaccination. Washington has administered over six million doses of vaccine, and 56 percent of Washingtonians have initiated vaccination.
It’s also worth noting that the NFL is expecting full stadiums across the board when September rolls around.
From league source:
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) May 13, 2021
"The NFL is preparing to play the 2021 season at full stadium capacity."
Barring any setbacks, the implications for the upcoming NFL season are obvious.
Lumen Field is going to be a tough, tough place for opposing teams to play because they aren’t going to be able to hear anything their QBs say.
The 2021 home opener will be against the reigning AFC South champion Tennessee Titans on September 19th at 1:25 PM PT on CBS.
Go ‘Hawks!