Report: Miami Dolphins Announce Decision on Fans Attending Home Opener vs. Buffalo Bills

The Miami Dolphins have announced that the team’s scheduled home opener on Sept. 20 against the Buffalo Bills will have a maximum attendance of 13,000 fans at Hard Rock Stadium.

The continuing coronavirus pandemic is the reason for the drastic move by the Dolphins, with the state of Florida being one of the areas hit hardest. Ordinarily, the capacity of the stadium is 65,326.

Besides the mandatory mask edict, countless other safety protocols have been put in place for the 2020 season to protect the safety of fans attending.

These protocols include social distance measures, staggered gate entries and cashless transactions for concessions, retail and parking. The Dolphins also announced that no tailgating will be allowed for the 2020 campaign.

Dolphins vice chairman and CEO Tom Garfinkel explained that the decision was based on months of discussion about how to have fans in attendance and protect them while at the stadium.

“When we started the process back in March of exploring what a socially-distanced stadium could look like, we made the health and safety of everyone the first priority; knowing that if we felt that we couldn’t make it safe, we simply wouldn’t have fans,” said Garfinkel. “We’re happy that our elected officials recognize the attention to detail and diligence that we’ve put into creating a safe environment and that they made the decision to move forward with a 13,000-capacity stadium at this time.”

Season ticket holders will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets, depending on how long they have had them. In addition, the option of rolling the purchase of 2020 season tickets into the 2021 campaign will be available for fans who may have safety concerns or may have a higher risk of contracting the virus.

The Dolphins are scheduled to open their 2020 season on the road against the New England Patriots.