Update 11/16: The Washington Football Team is back to playing with no fans in the stadium.

In light of rising coronavirus caseloads, the team says it will play this Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals without fans present.

“We take the responsibility of protecting our staff, players, fans, and the community seriously and feel this is the right decision at this time,” the team said in a statement Monday, noting it had worked closely with health officials in Prince George’s County to make the decision.

Roughly 3,000 fans were allowed to attend a Nov. 8 game against the New York Giants, the first time this season spectators could watch the team play at FedEx Field.

Also on Monday, the Baltimore Ravens made a similar decision to bar fans. Stands at M&T Bank Stadium will be empty this weekend, after more than 4,000 people attended a game earlier this month.

Maryland recorded 1,726 new coronavirus cases Monday, making this the 13th straight day with 1,000 or more reported cases.

Original: 

The Washington Football Team announced Friday that it would be “welcoming fans back” to FedEx Field for its matchup against the New York Giants on November 8. The news comes a week after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced that the state’s sports venues could reopen at 10% capacity.

For the November faceoff, a limited number of season ticket holders will be allowed in the stadium’s lower level and suites. The team has released a number of safety protocols, including screening staff for symptoms, providing hand sanitizer stations, and placing plexiglass barriers at concessions stands. Groups ticketed together will be limited to four seats, masks are required, and tailgating will also be prohibited.

Still, some on social media raised concerns about the decision to reopen stadiums, even incrementally, as Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium also plans to allow a few thousand fans back for its Nov. 1 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Maryland’s COVID-19 caseload is approaching 140,000, and its seven-day average for new cases increased by 5% compared to last week, as of Friday.

Hogan’s announcement to allow fans back at stadiums conflicts with coronavirus restrictions in Prince George’s County (where FedEx Field is located), as the county remains under Phase Two of the reopening plan, limiting outdoor crowds to 50 people and one person or family per 200 square feet.

FedEx Field can hold around 82,000 fans, meaning 10% would be about 8,000 fans, per WTOP. Prince George’s County officials said they were reviewing the order last week and were discussing next steps with Washington Football Team executives.

“We take our responsibility to protect our staff, players, fans, and the community seriously,” the team’s President Jason Wright said in a statement. “Since the beginning of the season, we worked in close coordination with Prince George’s County health officials to monitor and assess the possibility of welcoming fans.”

Wright said the team hopes to “welcome more fans through the FedEx Field gates in the near future.”

The team had announced in August that the season would carry on without fans out of “an abundance of caution.” It also refunded season ticket holders and gave them the opportunity to defer their tickets to the 2021 season.

But with the new announcement, Gold Members (a.k.a., season ticket holders) will be given separate windows from Oct. 27 through Oct.30 when they can purchase tickets, based on how long they’ve been members.

This particular matchup, billed as the “friends and family game,” is also leaving some commenters scratching their heads — will anyone show up to watch the two worst ranked teams in the NFC East?

https://twitter.com/justinsrubin/status/1319661601121816576

https://twitter.com/NotUrAvGent/status/1319661072404676609

https://twitter.com/ByMikeJones/status/1319661041735901185

But the team’s rocky season has been about more than just its poor performance on the field.

In September the NFL took over an investigation into the team’s reported environment of sexual harassment and toxicity. Then, for the first time in 21 years, team owner Dan Snyder missed a game as someone he came in close contact with tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier in the summer, head coach Ron Rivera announced he’d been diagnosed with cancer, though he decided to continue coaching.

Oh, and for fans wondering about when a new name might be chosen, it looks like the Washington Football Team is here to stay, at least through next season, Wright told WJLA.

Hannah Schuster contributed reporting.