He urged people to stay at home and watch the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as Covid-19 could spread within a group of guests.
“If you don’t know what the status of a person is vis-à-vis whether they’re infected or not, you’re really putting yourself and your family in danger,” Fauci said.
“As difficult as that is, at least this time around, just lay low and cool it,” Fauci told NBC earlier in the week.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised that if people do have small gatherings with others outside their household, outdoor gatherings are safer in terms of spreading the virus than indoor ones. The CDC has said that both small and large gatherings can increase the risk of contracting and transmitting Covid-19.
The Super Bowl, which is being held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., will have attendance capped at 22,000 due to the pandemic.
Among those allowed to attend, about 7,500 will be vaccinated health care workers. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has mandated mask-wearing outdoors around the stadium and in other areas of the city, and everyone attending the game will get a KN95 mask.
