Miami Heat Establishing Vaccinated-Only Section

Vaccinated fans of the Miami Heat will soon have their own section to watch games.

According to The Associated Press, the Heat’s home arena — soon to change from AmericanAirlines Arena to FTX Arena — will have two vaccinated-only sections starting with an April 1 game against Golden State. Only fans that are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 will be allowed in those two sections, which will still require fans to wear masks and groups of fans to have one seat separating them.

Fans hoping to sit in those sections must be fully vaccinated for at least 14 days and show their Centers for Disease Control vaccination card and a valid ID while entering through a separate gate.

The NBA has said that vaccinated sections are allowed as long as they follow health and safety guidelines. Any fans seated within 30 feet of the court will have to take a PCR test two days before the game or an approved antigen test on game day.

Children without the vaccine are not permitted to attend with their vaccinated parents or guardians. The NBA is also encouraging teams to have dedicated concession and restroom areas for the vaccinated fans.

The Heat are among the teams that have started the vaccination process with players and staff members.

“Things are moving,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “All of us can’t wait until we get our building full again, and same thing for other arenas.”