Gillette Stadium will remain fan-free until 2021.
All New England Patriots and New England Revolution home games for the remainder of the 2020 NFL and MLS seasons will be played without spectators in attendance, stadium officials announced Monday.
The following statement was posted on the venue’s official website:
“Throughout the last several months, Gillette Stadium officials and the Kraft Sports + Entertainment organization have worked diligently to develop a plan to safely host fans at a reduced capacity. We have done so in collaboration with a team of infectious disease experts and the Massachusetts Reopening Advisory Board and feel confident in our plan, which complies with guidelines issued by the CDC, the National Football League and Major League Soccer.
“We have recently been informed that the Governor’s Executive Order prohibiting large capacity venues from opening to the public will remain in force for the remainder of the 2020 football and soccer seasons.
“We understand that the advisory board, Governor (Charlie) Baker and Lt. Governor (Karyn) Polito made this decision with the health and safety of the community in mind. Still, we know that this decision will be disappointing to the friends and family members of our respective teams and countless Patriots and Revolution Season Ticket Members who were eager to attend games this season.
“As we turn our focus to 2021, we will continue to work closely with the advisory board to safely reopen our building. We look forward to welcoming Patriots and Revolution fans back home to Gillette Stadium upon being granted approval next year.“
Twenty of the NFL’s 32 teams now are hosting a limited number of fans at home games, with capacities varying based on different state and city COVID-19 regulations.
The Patriots have four home games remaining on their 2020 schedule: against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10, Arizona Cardinals in Week 12, Buffalo Bills in Week 16 and New York Jets in Week 17.
New England is set to visit the Jets — another of the dozen teams that are playing in empty stadiums — on Monday night.
