Raiders requiring fans to be vaccinated in first for NFL team

The Las Vegas Raiders this week announced that all fans attending home games will be required to provide proof of their vaccinations against the coronavirus.

The team became the first in the NFL to require fans to be vaccinated, saying on Monday the new policy will go into effect Sept. 13, when the Raiders play their regular season home opener against the Baltimore Ravens.

“Health and safety has always been our number one priority,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said in a statement. “After consultation with Governor [Steve] Sisolak and other community leaders, this policy ensures that we will be able to operate at full capacity without masks for fully vaccinated fans for the entire season.”

The Raiders played their preseason opener on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium, with all attendees required to wear masks, the Las Vegas Review-Journal noted.

Last month, officials in Las Vegas decided against implementing a mask mandate for tourists on the Las Vegas strip, opting instead to order employees to wear masks indoors. 

“We have already been through a shutdown and a start-up. We cannot afford to have major conventions choose to go elsewhere,” Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson said at the time, citing the importance of tourism to the area. 

Nevada has seen more than 373,000 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic and has reported more than 6,000 deaths, according to Nevada Health Response.