Fans back to see Warriors at full capacity for 1st time in 575 days

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- All the sports talk of late has been about the San Francisco Giants but Wednesday night, the Golden State Warriors played their first game with no capacity limits at Chase Center in 575 days.

Proof of vaccination is required for those 12 and older per San Francisco rules; and for kids not eligible for that, proof of a negative COVID test is required within 72 hours of the game.

Wednesday there were lines to enter the Chase Center, something that we haven't seen in a year and a half, making it a sell-out game.

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"We wanted to be extra cautious so my friend here is like wear two masks so we put two masks on and we're just trying to be safe!" said Warriors fans Monique Mackey and Zinnia Koch.

Proof of vaccination is required for those 12 and older per San Francisco rule and proof of a negative COVID test is required for kids 11 and under, which may be a reason why we didn't see many young children at Wednesday night's first Dubs preseason game. Warriors executives say safety is key here.

"From the very beginning we've said we wanted Chase Center to be the safest building in the country," said Warriors Vice President of Government and Community Relations Yoyo Chan.

You might think that a preseason game after the pandemic is not that a big deal, but Wednesday's game was a sell-out even though we did see plenty of empty seats.

"We're expecting a full crowd tonight," said Gott's Roadside Assistant Manager Zach Bowman.

Gott's Roadside just opened September 27 and couldn't be happier with all the fans coming back.

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We spoke with many of those fans about Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins who first said he wouldn't get the vaccine and then did get it after learning that he wouldn't be able to play any home games without it.

"While individual freedoms are important in America, often we often make sacrifices for the greater good and I think that him getting vaccinated, he needed to get vaccinated to keep us safe," said Warriors fan Lante Tong who was there with his dad.

Fans say they like the safety precautions but several said it still feels a bit different being back.

"I like the vaccination requirement, I don't mind wearing masks, but it's still kind of scary," said Warriors fan Peter Tong.

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