Mayor Lori Lightfoot mentioned the chances of Bears fanatics returning to Soldier Field this season are lower than 50 %.
In an interview with “Mully and Haugh” on WSCR-AM on Friday morning, Lightfoot mentioned that “we’re no nowhere near at a place where we can even realistically talk about fans coming back to Soldier Field.”
The Bears won’t have fanatics within Soldier Field for his or her house opener Sunday. The crew simply final week mentioned it hopes that can alternate later within the season.
Lightfoot, although, sounded annoyed via a loss of communique with the crew.
“We’re willing to absolutely work with the Bears,” mentioned Lightfoot, who’s additionally a Bears season-ticket holder. “But they got to talk with us and be willing to cooperate and not just say things in the media.”
Just final week, Bears chairman George McCaskey mentioned the Bears had been involved with town a few plan for fanatics to go back.
“We’re very optimistic, we’re talking to the city, we’ve presented a plan and we think it’s a good plan,” he mentioned. “We’re informed that this can be a just right plan however the town desires to look the numbers of energetic instances within the town come down sooner than we will be able to deliver other folks to Soldier Field.
“So we’re hopeful. But we want to be prudent, we want to do the right thing and we want to cooperate with the city in their health and safety measures.”
At an unrelated information convention that adopted her sports activities radio interview, Lightfoot talked in particular about what she wishes from the Bears sooner than permitting fanatics at Soldier Field.
“Work with our [public health] experts,” Lightfoot mentioned. “Come to us with particular, concrete plans. … Hundreds of other folks should be there, simply to enhance the sport itself. Then, while you layer into it … the folks within the stands, that may be a difficult workout.
“It is a massive exercise to put one of these events on. That’s why you can’t just talk about it in the media. You’ve got to dig down and do the hard work of planning to make it happen. But it’s always gonna be dictated by the public health guidance.”
The Colts, Jaguars, Chiefs and Dolphins are the one NFL groups which might be permitting fanatics of their stadiums in September.
Lightfoot famous that Chicago is “just coming out of a spike in cases” that began in past due July and proceed thru August and early September. The “downward trend” began seven-to-10 days in the past, however Chicago’s positivity price continues to be “not where anyone would like it” to be, the mayor mentioned.