Packers will allow more than 6,000 fans for next week's playoff game at Lambeau Field

Green Bay Press-Gazette

GREEN BAY – Green Bay Packers fans have gotten their second-fondest wish; second, that is, to a Super Bowl victory. More than 6,000 fans will be allowed to attend the Packers first playoff game.

There is a big caveat, though. Tickets will be sold only to season ticket holders who said they'd be willing to buy them despite the coronavirus pandemic, and the tickets will not be transferable, which means no sales on the secondary market.

The Packers are scheduled to host the lowest-seeded surviving NFC team the weekend of Jan. 16-17. If they win, they will host the NFC championship game on Jan. 24. The decision on fans is for Jan. 16-17 only. A decision on how many fans will be allowed in the stadium for the championship game will be made later.

So far, the Packers have had 1,000 or fewer employees and front-line workers and their families in the stands for recent home games. They've used those games to test their safety protocols.

"We've seen our COVID-19 protocols in action and are confident we can safely add additional fans," said Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy. "Our players have enjoyed the energy provided by the limited fans we've had over the past four games."

The Packers, the No. 1 seed in the NFC, have a bye this weekend. Of the six games scheduled for the wild card round, two will host limited numbers of ticketed fans.

New Orleans, Tennessee and Buffalo will have ticketed fans, but Seattle, Pittsburgh and Washington will not. Kansas City, which has the first-week bye in the AFC, hosted limited numbers of fans throughout the season.

The Packers did not allow ticketed fans at games during the regular season because of the coronavirus pandemic. The team allowed employees' families to attend the previous four home games, and invited health care workers and security personnel and their families to the final two regular-season games at Lambeau Field as well.

A few fans watch the Green Bay Packers play at Lambeau Field on Dec. 27.

For this game, the Packers will sell 6,000 tickets to season ticket holders who notified the team before the season started that they would opt in to future ticket sales. All season ticket holders received refunds or had their payments rolled over to next year. About 7,600 season ticket account holders opted in, 20% of the total number of season ticket accounts.

Other fans allowed in the stadium will be health care workers and first responders and their families. The Packers did not say how many total people will be allowed into the stadium, but it will be around 10% of the normal attendance.

Tickets will be sold online through Ticketmaster on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Tuesday. The NFL will announce the time and date of divisional round games after the completion of games on Sunday.

Ticket prices, as set by the NFL, will range from $127 in the end zones to $177 between the 20 yards lines, plus a service fee from Ticketmaster.

Season ticket holders who buy are not guaranteed their usual seats, and almost certainly will not get them. No indoor seating will be used.

The tickets will not be transferable or able to be resold on the secondary market. Tickets will be sold for pods of two, four or six seats. Ticket holders will be responsible for the makeup and health of their pod. The expectation is it will be used exclusively by them and household members, which has been a requirement for employees and other invited guests.

The Packers ask that anyone feeling ill or having a member of their household who is ill, or have been in contact with anyone who tested positive for COVID, not purchase tickets.

One electronic ticket will be issued, so all members of a pod will be required to enter the game together. There will be no exceptions to that protocol.

Eligible season ticket holders will receive information about the sale this week.

Attendance at games this year, following the NFL's strict health and safety protocols, appears to have been safe. The NFL reported 109 games with more than one million fans this season. Local tracing in those cities found no case clusters traced to games.

The Packers worked with Bellin Health and Brown County Public Health to implement procedures and determine when it was safe to allow fans to attend games.

"The regular-season games have demonstrated the precautions in place will prevent further spread of the virus and we hope this will continue to demonstrate that while we may have to make adjustments to coexist with the virus, it is possible to make the necessary changes that will allow us to stop the spread as a community," said Dr. Michael Landrum, infectious disease specialist with Bellin Health.

Tickets are for sale on the secondary markets for games in New Orleans, starting at about $600 and Tennessee at about $255.

Tennessee had 13,797 fans, or 20% of its stadium capacity, at its game on Dec. 20. The Saints had 3,000 fans on Christmas Day, but were reported to have been cleared to allow 6,700 fans for Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears, which would be about 9% of capacity. Pittsburgh had hoped to have limited ticketed fans, but learned Thursday it would be allowed by the state to have only 2,500 attendees. The Steelers will invite only families and friends.

The Bills were cleared to have 6,772 fans by the state, but those tickets are not on the secondary market. All fans will be required to test negative for coronavirus before attending.

Kansas City has gone with 22% attendance this season.

A frequently asked question-and-answer page for the playoffs is available online at Packers.com.

Contact Richard Ryman at (920) 431-8342 or rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG/