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Well, things have changed over the course of the day. With Oregon Governor Kate Brown lowering 15 counties from “Extreme Risk” to “High Risk” — including Multnomah County — the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC will be allowed to have fans in attendance this weekend.
We are excited to confirm that we can continue having our supporters in a limited capacity at Providence Park this weekend, as today the state announced a reduction in county COVID risk levels.
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) May 5, 2021
See you Sunday! #RCTID
We are excited to confirm that we can continue having our supporters in a limited capacity at Providence Park this weekend, as today the state announced a reduction in county COVID risk levels.
— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) May 5, 2021
Look for Challenge Cup final & regular season home opener ticket info soon! #BAONPDX
“Let me be clear: across the state, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are still high, and Oregon is not out of the woods yet,” Brown said in a press release. “However, we have met the hospitalization metric established by our health experts for counties to return to High Risk.”
Earlier this week, things looked bleak in terms of whether or not fans would be allowed at Providence Park this weekend. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported that the Timbers, Thorns, and NWSL had all tried to get exemptions for this weekend despite Multnomah County being at “Extreme Risk” level, but that such an allowance would be unlikely.
However, with the new guidance, the Timbers and Thorns theoretically should be allowed to host fans at up to 15% capacity this weekend. Just this morning, it didn’t seem possible. Now it’s a reality.
The Thorns will play in the NWSL Challenge Cup final on Saturday against Gotham FC on Saturday at 10 a.m. PST. The Timbers will play the Seattle Sounders on Sunday at 12 p.m. PST