ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Baseball isn’t the only sport Tampa Bay fans can watch this weekend as the 2020 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg starts Friday.
This year’s events are different, though. Fans aren’t at the Trop, or packing downtown streets watching the races, but St. Pete’s Mayor, Rick Kriseman, said while everyone can enjoy the festivities, they shouldn’t let their guard down because COVID cases are on the rise.
What You Need To Know
- St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman advising fans to not let their guards down this weekend
- Rays Even World Series
- St. Pete Grand Prix allowing limited number of fans
“This is going to be a busy week downtown, and throughout the city, so we need everyone to be responsible. We really need everyone to recognize what's at stake here as we continue to see cases rise,” said Mayor Kriseman.
At a press conference Tuesday, the Mayor warned business owners they will be cited if they’re not following all of the COVID safety rules like patrons wearing masks, following social distancing guidelines, and they must be seated to be served in bars and restaurants.
Additional precautions will be taken at the Grand Prix. Promoters limited attendance to only 20,000 people.
“I think back to 2008 when we hosted the World Series games at the Trop. I know it would be so wonderful to do that again, but we can't, so we do the best we can. It’s the same thing with the Grand Prix, normally over a weekend we see anywhere from 150 to 200-thousand people, we won't see that this time and that does impact all of our businesses,” said Mayor Kriseman.
Business owners downtown have said it will be difficult limiting capacity this weekend, especially after so many months of being forced to close.