COVID-19 FAQ

The Florida Everblades have worked in partnership with the ECHL, the Hertz Arena, and with respect to guidelines from Lee County and the State of Florida to help keep everyone in attendance at our games safe throughout the 2020-21 Season.  We are excited about the upcoming season and look forward to playing hockey at the Hertz Arena. As the season progresses, we will continue to update this page with any changes.

WHEN WILL DOORS OPEN FOR EVERBLADES GAMES?

• For 7:30 p.m. puck drops, Hertz Arena doors will open for Breakaway Sports Pub at 5:30 p.m., while doors for the general public will be open at 6:30 p.m. 
• For 7:00 p.m. puck drops, doors will open at 5:00 p.m. for Breakaway Sports Pub and 6:00 p.m. for the general public.

ARE MASKS REQUIRED?

• Masks are recommended to be worn by all spectators inside of Hertz Arena. All other patrons, such as employees, media personnel and others, are required to wear a mask. 

WILL FANS BE SOCIALLY DISTANT?

• Tickets in socially distant sections will be available for purchase. Call the Everblades ticket office at (239)-948-PUCK(7825) with questions.

DOES THE ARENA HAVE A BAG POLICY?

• Hertz Arena has a clear bag policy in place to enhance safety measures for patrons. For more information, call the Everblades office at (239)-948-PUCK(7825) or visit www.hertzarena.com. 

STAFFING POLICIES

• Health screening and temperature checks for all part-time, full-time, contracted staff members, college student interns and volunteers prior to beginning any shifts.
• Mandatory face coverings, as necessitated by current guidelines and best practice policies.
• Protective gloves shall be required for removal of garbage and cleaning of facilities.
• Strict hand hygiene practices for staff who serve food and beverage and/or count money and handle cash.
• Ongoing training to educate staff on new standards and protocols, reinforcing continued focus on social distancing and best hygiene practices.

SANITATION

• Venue to be sanitized before guests arrive with extra care to high touch point areas.
• Additional custodial staff will be utilized for wiping down high touch points such as tables, chairs, restrooms, handrails, door handles, elevators, escalators, vending machines, push cart handles, etc.
• Added hand sanitizing stations both stationary and portable for public and staff use around the facility.
• Restrooms, locker rooms, and dressing rooms will be sanitized with increased frequency.
• Equipment used by staff and guests will be sanitized prior to and after use (i.e. microphones, projectors, remotes, cameras, spotlights etc.)  Specific sanitation wipes will be provided for event organizers to sanitize between speakers.

TICKET PURCHASE/SERVICING

• Select ticket windows will be closed to ensure proper distancing between patrons with additional windows open, if necessary, at other box office locations within the facility.
• Stanchions and/or spacing markers will promote proper distancing between customers waiting in lines.
• As a general practice, electronic delivery of tickets (email or mobile delivery) will be encouraged at all points of sale.
• Season ticket holders will be in their selected seats during the 20-21 season. This could cause you to be sitting next to or near a season ticket holder if you purchased single game tickets. 
• If you are uncomfortable sitting near or next to someone, feel free to inform your section’s usher or visit the Box Office Customer Service Window that is located outside of section 106 to have your seat(s) moved. 
• There is pod seating available for Everblades games. This pod seating ensures that no other seats are taken within 4 seats of the same row along with no one being in the row directly in front or behind you. The pod seating option is currently available in sections 103, 104, 108, 109, 113, 114 and 119. 

CASHLESS PAYMENT

• The facility will encourage guests to transition to cashless payments limiting the direct contact between employees and guests.  This will include all areas of food and beverage, ticketing and merchandise.

GUEST EXPERIENCE

• Concourse Flow
• Stanchions and/or spacing markers will promote proper distancing between customers waiting in lines
• Large scale events may see defined traffic flow (i.e. each side of the concourse designated as one-way-only) to keep proper social distancing.
• Doors will be propped open where possible to limit the number of touch points for our guests

THE ECHL AND OUR VENUES HAVE PUT PREVENTIVE MEASURES IN PLACE DUE TO THE SPREAD OF COVID-19, HOWEVER, ATTENDING AN ECHL GAME WITH OTHER PATRONS COULD INCREASE YOUR RISK OF CONTRACTING THE COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS. BY ENTERING THE ARENA, YOU VOLUNTARILY ASSUME ALL RISKS AND AGREE YOU WILL NOT HOLD THE ECHL, OUR MEMBER TEAMS AND THEIR EMPLOYEES RESPONSBILE FOR ANY RESULTING ILLNESS OR INJURY. THE ECHL AND THE FLORIDA EVERBLADES RECOMMEND THAT ALL FANS IN ATTENDANCE WEAR A FACEMASK WHILE IN THE ARENA, CONCOURSE AREAS & RESTROOMS IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 [IN COMPLIANCE WITH ARENA/LOCAL/STATE/PROVINCIAL ORDINANCES.]