CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Cubs are hoping to get fans back into Wrigley Field for the last month of the regular season.
The ballpark holds more than 41,000 people in normal times, and the Cubs would like to get as many as 7,000 people in the ballpark toward the middle or end of the 60-game season.
Crane Kenney, the Cubs President of Business Operations, says the plan would involve groups of two, four and six, with social distancing; masks any time people aren't in their seats; and designated gates for entry and exit at an assigned time.
"I can't see it happening in the first half of the season. I think we're going to walk before we run," he said Friday. "But it's a chance for maybe Sept. 1 — the last month of the season — to get a few people in the ballpark."
Kenney says ideally the Cubs would use it as a pilot program for next season, which may also be at limited capacity.
The city and Major League Baseball have to approve the plan.
Mayor Lightfoot's office says it's "an ongoing conversation," and that the city "looks forward to welcoming back fans at a time when it is deemed safe."
For now, Cubs fans looking for some semblance of a game experience are limited to the rooftop venues across from Wrigley. They, too, are running at reduced capacity and with various restrictions.
