ST. LOUIS, Mo. – –St. Louis Cardinals fans left Busch Stadium with smiles Thursday. The home opener included a 2-run homer from Nolan Arenado to help defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1. The game was considered a sellout, but the crowd size was limited to approximately 13,000 fans due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“When you’re a true Cardinals fan, opening day is like a holiday,” said baseball fan Archie Wayne Sr. “It was a great experience being there and I felt very comfortable with the regulations.”
Allison Cox attended Thursday’s home opener. She said it was strange not being able to high-five nearby fans. Each ticket group was separated from other fans.
“Being able to celebrate together would be great,” said Cox.
Tanna Demarco attended the home opener and felt the Cardinals did a good job implementing precautions. She said, “You can’t really do more until there are more vaccinations.”
Part of the added restrictions include a policy prohibiting fans from bringing bags into the ballpark. Some fans expressed displeasure over that decision.
“I’d like to carry a purse in,” said Sonja Graham. She said other than that, she saw no problems with precautions such as mask-wearing and social distancing.
Fans also expressed support for a metal detector enhancement that no longer requires fans to empty out their pockets.
There are no beer vendors traveling to seats this year and cash is not being accepted for concession stand purchases. Fans can exchange cash for a debit card they can use to buy food and drinks.
