St. Paul Saints to open to 27% capacity for home opener in May

The St.Paul Saints’ CHS Field will be able to open to 27% capacity after Gov. Tim Walz announced on Friday a loosening of statewide COVID-19 restrictions.

As a result, on May 11, the Saints will be able to host 2,100 at CHS Field when they play their first home game as the Minnesota Twins Triple-A affiliate.

The Saints will utilize many of the strategies put in place during a successful 2020 season. Some of those plans include:

• Communication: The ability to interact and communicate with fans before, during, and after games. The communication will provide, among other things, best places to park and closest entrances based upon your seating area.
• A controlled, predictable dnvironment: With specific points of sale, restrooms near seating areas, and an easy-to-navigate 360-degree concourse, fans won’t have to travel far from their seating area.
• Masks: Employees and visitors will wear protective masks at all times, with an exception for eating and drinking.
• Social distancing: Social distancing principles to be applied in all areas of operation, including staging, seating, and servicing.
• Health and wellness protocols: This includes fans, employees, and on-field personnel, including, but not limited to, enhanced cleaning and sanitization strategies.

In conjunction with the announcement, the Saints will put a limited number of single-game tickets on sale beginning March 17 at 10 a.m. online or via the Saints office at 651-644-6659. Along with single-game tickets, the Saints will also make group and specialty seating areas available. As guidance changes and capacities increase, the Saints will place additional tickets for sale all season long.

Latest loosening of statewide COVID-19 restrictions addresses gatherings, venue

“We want to thank Governor Walz and his StaySafeMN team, along with the team at the Minnesota Department of Health, first and foremost for all they’ve done to keep Minnesotans safe, then secondly for the spirit of collaboration with which they’ve worked to create guidance allowing the Saints, the Twins, and other Minnesota sports and entertainment venues to safely host fans in 2021,” Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Derek Sharrer said in a statement. “We appreciate the opportunity to build on what was accomplished last summer at CHS Field, safely entertaining fans in August and September, and look forward to working together in an effort to increase capacity as Minnesota continues to recover and reopen."

The Saints 2021 season, their first as the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, begins on Tuesday, May 4, on the road against the Omaha Storm Chasers (Kansas City Royals). The home opener is Tuesday, May 11, at 7:05 p.m. against the Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs).