Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic.
Tampa residents were seen partying mask-free and packed together on the city’s historic Seventh Avenue on Saturday night, ahead of their hometown team’s appearance in Super Bowl LV.
Photos showed the strip in Tampa’s Ybor City neighborhood filled with hundreds of people, many with their masks off or nowhere to be found.
Tampa Bay Times photographer Luis Santana estimated the crowd to be in the tens of thousands, with revelers shoulder-to-shoulder in some locations.
The large, largely maskless crowds formed despite Tampa Mayor Jane Castor’s order that people keep their faces covered in popular outdoor areas through next week, the Times said.
Tampa police had warned repeat offenders could receive fines of up to $450 — but the Times and other outlets reported little-to-no enforcement in Ybor City and other bustling neighborhoods.
Tampa police officers assist a man bleeding among large crowds partying. Octavio Jones/Getty ImagesThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Public health officials across the country have advised Americans not to gather in large groups for the big game due to COVID-19.
