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With big events over the next few days, Arlington focused on safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Wednesday to Friday will be filled with constant activity in Arlington, with the Goodyear Cotton Bowl classic, New Year’s Eve, and then the Rose Bowl-College Football Playoff game on Friday.
ARLINGTON, Texas - Groups of people will be going back and forth from AT&T Stadium and Texas Live! over the next three days.
Officials in Arlington said their priority is working to ensure safety during the pandemic.
Wednesday to Friday will be filled with constant activity in Arlington, with the Goodyear Cotton Bowl classic, New Year’s Eve, and then the Rose Bowl-College Football Playoff game on Friday after it was relocated from its traditional venue due to California’s COVID-19 restrictions.
(Photo by Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)
"We get to follow in the footsteps and protocols and safe stadium guidelines that AT&T Stadium has been doing all year with the Cowboys’ games," said Bry Patton, chairman of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association.
Both Cotton Bowl teams are staying in the same hotel.
Officials said it will be a bubble-like environment to ensure safety.
About 17,000 fans will be allowed inside AT&T Stadium for both bowl games. By comparison, the Dallas Cowboys hosted more than 30,000 for their Thanksgiving game against Washington.
Fans will wear masks and sit in pods with only the people in their group.
Patton attended the Big 12 Championship Game to see how protocols worked.
"Sat in four seats, with three close friends, and I wanted to see for myself that there was a comfort level of being in the stadium. I was impressed with the space between the seating, how things were being handled," he said.
The annual New Year’s Eve celebration at Texas Live! will also look different.
The venue will host watch parties for the bowl games and a reduced attendance on New Year’s Eve.
Both will be ticketed to control crowd size.
"We've had a conversation with Texas Live. They've reconsidered their New Year’s party. They are going to step back from that and simply operate as a restaurant with reduced attendance, there will be music but there will be no dancing," Arlington Fire Department Chief Don Crowson said.
With events going on for months in Arlington during the pandemic, Crowson said people have gotten used to the safety protocols.
He thinks the forecast later this week will also play a role.
"We expect to see a lot of rain. The rain will help us from a New Year’s Eve perspective. The folks who come to the venues will enjoy the venues and go home. That’s what we hope and want," he added.
Because of the governor’s COVID-19 order, bars are closed due to high levels of coronavirus hospitalizations.
Many are operating as restaurants, but the fire chief said there will be multiple patrols to ensure everyone is complying.