Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Boston: house, stores, safe)

[mdovell]

I'm seeing more evidence that smaller places are going to come back faster than larger ones. Fuller Park just opened up in Worcester and Dunkin Donuts in Hartford. Both I think he'll be at full capacity but there's no way you can do that Fenway Park. Is somebody really wants a full Stadium experience you're going to have to go to a smaller venue.

Coming back might have more of a image concepts rather than actuality. This is probably why some people want things to go back to normal into the office. It was just some reporting about Cape Cod and how there's just so many more people there than before. I think the decision to delay the opening of Boston by three weeks is just going to have people cancelled plans in Boston and vacation somewhere else. Maybe it's the Berkshires maybe it's Cape Cod maybe it's for mom maybe it's Connecticut but I really think that people are itching to go somewhere and they still can't go overseas for the most part

[yesmaybe]

Originally Posted by mdovell

I'm seeing more evidence that smaller places are going to come back faster than larger ones. Fuller Park just opened up in Worcester and Dunkin Donuts in Hartford. Both I think he'll be at full capacity but there's no way you can do that Fenway Park. Is somebody really wants a full Stadium experience you're going to have to go to a smaller venue.

MA has a capacity limit so it's kind of moot. Who knows what the attendance would be if there was no limit.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by mdovell

I'm seeing more evidence that smaller places are going to come back faster than larger ones. Fuller Park just opened up in Worcester and Dunkin Donuts in Hartford. Both I think he'll be at full capacity but there's no way you can do that Fenway Park. Is somebody really wants a full Stadium experience you're going to have to go to a smaller venue.

The capacity limits are consistent statewide. So right now both Polar Park (assuming that's what you meant) and Fenway are both capped at 25%. I believe that CT is capped at 50% for outdoor stadiums right now. So yes, if you REALLY want to have the higher percentage of filled seats around you, you could drive to Hartford and watch the Yard Goats. Better yet, you could fly to Texas and watch the Rangers play in Arlington at 100% with basically no restrictions whatsoever. Even at 25% capacity, there are more fans in Fenway than in Hartford or Worcester when they're 100% full.

Realistically, I don't see Hartford's 50% capacity as being a major advantage over MA's 25% in terms of drawing fans. I don't see fans who are looking for a "full stadium experience" really being the driving force here. Red Sox fans aren't driving to Hartford just because they're filling a higher percentage of the seats. They're going to (try) to go see the Sox. Worcester's a novelty this year, so that'll boost attendance regardless COVID. But Fenway will fill up at the same rate Worcester does. And whether it's now or in August, it's highly unlikely people are going to be thinking "Screw Fenway, let's go see the Yard Goats!"

[mdovell]

Uh Yard Goats is 100% capasity
https://www.ctpost.com/sports/articl...w-16112217.php

"The Yard Goats, who open the season on May 11 at 7:05 p.m. at home against the Portland Sea Dogs, will put tickets on sale Monday. Originally announced as limited seating in pods, Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday afternoon the Yard Goats would allow full capacity when the state lifts COVID-19 business restrictions May 19."

It's about 6,100 people

You are correct in that Polar is 25%
https://www.nbcboston.com/news/sport...esday/2376986/

I'm not saying Red Sox fans are going to go to Hartford. But you can bet from western new england they are less apt to go to Boston given that there's now two stadiums. Keep in mind on a generational level you didn't see as much broadcasting to the area as TV38 didn't broadcast that far. That's why there's more yankees fans. heck you can get mets games sometimes as wpix would rebroadcast on a CT station which then can be picked up in Springfield. DD Park just opened four years ago. At the same point with ice hockey you have the wolfpack in hartford and thunderbirds in springfield and of course the pbruins in RI.

Boston isn't really opening up until August 22nd. By that time most people on vacation will be done with summer. This might be why the cape is seeing much more people.
https://www.boston.com/news/coronavi...ree-week-delay

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by mdovell

Uh Yard Goats is 100% capasity
https://www.ctpost.com/sports/articl...w-16112217.php

"The Yard Goats, who open the season on May 11 at 7:05 p.m. at home against the Portland Sea Dogs, will put tickets on sale Monday. Originally announced as limited seating in pods, Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday afternoon the Yard Goats would allow full capacity when the state lifts COVID-19 business restrictions May 19."

It's about 6,100 people

You are correct in that Polar is 25%
https://www.nbcboston.com/news/sport...esday/2376986/

I'm not saying Red Sox fans are going to go to Hartford. But you can bet from western new england they are less apt to go to Boston given that there's now two stadiums. Keep in mind on a generational level you didn't see as much broadcasting to the area as TV38 didn't broadcast that far. That's why there's more yankees fans. heck you can get mets games sometimes as wpix would rebroadcast on a CT station which then can be picked up in Springfield. DD Park just opened four years ago. At the same point with ice hockey you have the wolfpack in hartford and thunderbirds in springfield and of course the pbruins in RI.

Boston isn't really opening up until August 22nd. By that time most people on vacation will be done with summer. This might be why the cape is seeing much more people.
https://www.boston.com/news/coronavi...ree-week-delay

Ok, so the Yard Goats are at 100% capacity starting next week and will still have fewer fans when they're sold out than the Red Sox do at 25% capacity. It's not going to change anything I said about the impact on Fenway attendance.

I think you're conflating a whole bunch of things. Price, ease of access, and the quality of the on-field product will all be much more influential in determining where people go than what percent capacity the stadium is open (unless that number is 0%). Polar Park and DD Stadium are both cheaper and more easily accessible to people in Western New England. DD Stadium (as of 4 years ago), McCoy, Hadlock Field, Northeast Dental Stadium, etc. have all been cheaper and more easily accessible to much of New England than Fenway for as long as they've existed. It hasn't adversely impacted Fenway attendance because they're different experiences, different products, and metro Boston is a big enough metro on its own to fill a 37k seat ballpark in the summer. COVID and temporarily adjusted seating capacities aren't going to have a big impact on the appeal of Fenway. A family with 3 kids between ages 5-12 are likely going to still opt for the minor league park. A 35 year old guy and his 68 year old lifelong Sox fan father will likely still grab seats at Fenway.

As someone who has actually enjoyed the Fenway experience so far this year (I'll be there tonight and tomorrow), I can tell you that the "experience" of sitting in Historic Fenway and watching the Boston Red Sox even at 25% capacity is far superior to watching the Yard Goats in Hartford at 100% capacity because the product on the field is so much better and the stadium is a landmark. For a family with kids who could care less about the product on the field and places a higher emphasis on cheaper (likely more comfortable) seats, it's Hartford all day, every day. COVID and capacity limits have little bearing on either.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Realistically, I don't see Hartford's 50% capacity as being a major advantage over MA's 25% in terms of drawing fans. I don't see fans who are looking for a "full stadium experience" really being the driving force here. Red Sox fans aren't driving to Hartford just because they're filling a higher percentage of the seats. They're going to (try) to go see the Sox. Worcester's a novelty this year, so that'll boost attendance regardless COVID. But Fenway will fill up at the same rate Worcester does. And whether it's now or in August, it's highly unlikely people are going to be thinking "Screw Fenway, let's go see the Yard Goats!"

As a former Greater Hartford resident, I had to chuckle at this!

[rach5]

So, not sure I am loving the recommendation by ACIP that covid vaccines can be given at the same time as other vaccines. Do we really want kids to get, say, diphteria, tetanus, pertussis, meningitis, HPV, flu and covid vaccines all at the same appointment? What information do we have about how that will affect immunity and side effects?
Here is a discussion I could find. https://www.bioworld.com/articles/50...n-cdc-guidance
They are worried about drop in other vaccinations for kids during the pandemic and don't want to postpone covid vaccination - which I understand. I see little harm in postponing the other vaccinations by a few weeks - except perhaps that kids won't come back to the provider. But considering what I know about pediatricians, they will now likely force parents to give all vaccines simultaneously or to delay the covid one.

[yesmaybe]

Yankees SS Glyber Torres has tested positive. What's crazy about this is that he tested positive in December AND got J&J. So far there are 8 people on the Yankees who tested positive and all 8 were vaccinated with J&J. Only one I believe is showing any symptoms.

https://twitter.com/lindseyadler/sta...608712196?s=21

[yesmaybe]

As for MA, it's now down to under 400 hospitalized. First since late October.

[Amontillado]

(CNN)People fully vaccinated against Covid-19 do not need to wear masks or practice social distancing indoors or outdoors, except under certain circumstances, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday.

"If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic," Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a White House Covid-19 briefing. "We have all longed for this moment when we can get back to some sense of normalcy."


So, when are state guidelines going to reflect this? Maybe soon it'll be "Businesses can ask you to wear a mask, but the state is no longer making it compulsory".