PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The NFL is sending thousands of vaccinated front line workers to the Super Bowl, and some of those workers were selected by the Philadelphia Eagles.
As required by the team, the front line workers must be Philly natives living in the tampa area, and they had to have already received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Rima Sanka, an allergy and asthma immunologist, was one of 7,500 health care workers chosen. She said although the odds to win were low, she tried anyway.
"I responded - it was maybe five questions and asked what team do you root for - and put down Philadelphia Eagles because before we lived in Tampa, we lived in Philadelphia," recounted Sanka.
Some of the safety precautions at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium include pods of four people only and a mandatory N95 mask.
"They are really elevating the safety measures," she said. "Thank God because we are health care workers and that's a priority for us."
She said being chosen was a surprise, but nonetheless nice to be appreciated. "We don't expect this type of gratitude," she expressed, "but it's always a silver lining."
The front line workers were only given one ticket each, but Sanka said that's OK.
Although she's in Tampa, like a true Eagles fan, Sanka recalled the feeling of the team's Super Bowl 52 win.
"The emotion and the pride, and seeing the city go crazy," she remembered. "I've always admired Philadelphia for its grit."
Sanka and other front line workers were given one ticket each. She said the Philly natives became close though the process.
