As California starts to see the coronavirus surge leveling off, there’s a growing concern over the potential for upcoming large events to reverse the trend.
After the Los Angeles Rams thumped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 30-27, last week in Florida, the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers are set to duke it out at SoFi stadium on Sunday for the NFC championship title.
The winner will return to the Inglewood stadium two weeks later for the Super Bowl.
With case rates still high, along with the risk of transmission fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant, L.A. County health officials this week worry that large events like this Sunday’s NFC game — and maybe the Super Bowl in February — may reverse the region’s progress.
“We are finally turning a corner on this surge,” L.A. County Health Director Barbara Ferrer said earlier this week. “While these declines give us cause for much-welcomed hope, we should not take them as a sign to forgo the commonsense protective measures that helped to slow COVID-19 transmission in our county.”
Those who wish to gather to watch football games, even at home, should take some precautions to keep everyone safe, officials said.
Along with keeping gatherings small and making sure everyone is vaccinated, it’s important to encourage mask-wearing and physical distancing, to watch the game or eat outdoors, if possible, and to rapid test the attendees before the party.