Seattle's Lumen Field and Climate Pledge Arena to require all guests to be vaccinated

Several Seattle sports venues — including Lumen Field, T-Mobile Park and Climate Pledge Arena — will require guests ages 12 and up to either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or show a negative COVID test upon entry.

“As excited as we have been to welcome fans back to Lumen Field this season, we recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over and we want to do everything in our power to continue to provide a safe and comfortable matchday experience to everyone who comes out to the stadium,” Peter Tomozawa, a Seattle Sounders FC owner and the team’s president of business operations, said in a news release Tuesday.

Lumen Field — also home to the Seattle Seahawks — will require proof of vaccination beginning Sept. 19. Climate Pledge Arena, the future home of the Seattle Kraken and the Seattle Storm, is slated to open in October.

“Climate Pledge Arena and the @SeattleKraken announce all guests, ages 12 and over, attending Kraken games, concerts and events at Climate Pledge Arena will be required to provide proof of vaccination upon entry to keep fans, staff, players and artists safe,” the arena said in a Tuesday tweet.

T-Mobile park, home to the Seattle Mariners, also announced that it will be requiring fans ages 12 and up to either get vaccinated against the virus or submit a negative COVID test upon entry. That order goes into effect after the team's last home game of the regular season on Oct. 3. In a news release announcing the order, the Mariners said additional details about entry requirements will come at a later date.

To get into Lumen Field, fans will need to show a CDC-issued vaccination card — physical or digital — or a photo of their card. Documentation of vaccination from a health care provider, or electronic health records from the state Immunization Information System will also be accepted. 

However, to expedite the entry process, the Seahawks and Sounders are recommending that fans ages 18 and older utilize the CLEAR mobile app, which allows users to upload verification under the CLEAR Health Pass. Fans ages 14 to 17 can be added to an adult’s health pass.

The Climate Pledge Arena website says the stadium will be verifying fans’ vaccination status via mobile app, but does not provide specifics.

If fans are not vaccinated, they will be required to submit a negative COVID test. Guests at Lumen Field will need to take a test 72 hours before an event, while guests at Climate Pledge Arena will need to take a test 48 hours beforehand.  

"The health and safety of our guests, players and staff is always our top priority and we remain committed to doing what we can to keep our community safe," Seahawks President Chuck Arnold said on the team’s website. "These measures will allow us to continue with plans to host a full stadium of fans, while still providing a safe and fun experience for our guests. We urge everyone who is eligible to please get vaccinated."

Washington Athletics also announced a vaccine requirement to attend games at Husky Stadium beginning Sept. 25. Washington State University made a similar announcement Tuesday — proof of vaccination will be required at Gesa Stadium starting Oct. 9. At both stadiums, unvaccinated fans will have show a negative COVID test result from 72 hours before game time in order to gain entry. 

In addition to getting vaccinated, Seattle sports fans hoping to attend games in person will need to comply with King County’s latest mask mandate, which requires everyone ages 5 and up — regardless of vaccination status — to wear a mask outdoors while at a gathering of more than 500 people. Fans are only allowed to remove their masks while actively eating or drinking.

King County also announced Tuesday that it is looking to make vaccination against the virus a condition for entering some non-essential businesses. If that program comes to fruition, vaccines requirements could be seen at several King County businesses as early as next month.

The slew of vaccine requirement orders comes at a time when COVID cases are surging statewide, fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus. Washington is averaging more than 2,300 new cases a day and hospitalizations have risen 8% over the last two weeks. Those figures are lower than they have been in recent weeks, but are still far higher than they were before the emergence of the Delta variant over the summer.

The CDC says that a person is fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving a final dose of a COVID vaccine. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two doses, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires one. Currently, 55% of Washington residents are fully vaccinated.