Officials have looked into possible emergency backup venues to host the Super Bowl, but the game is scheduled to go off as planned at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Feb. 13, an NFL spokesman said.
One possible backup site was rumored to be the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
But an NFL official said that Super Bowl LVI was still on for the Los Angeles location, despite other reports.
“As part of our standard contingency planning process that we conduct for all regular and postseason games, we have contacted several clubs to inquire about stadium availability in the event we cannot play the Super Bowl as scheduled due to weather-related issues or unforeseen circumstances,” Brian McCarthy said. “Our planning process for the Super Bowl in Los Angeles is ahead of schedule and we look forward to hosting the Super Bowl there to culminate another fantastic NFL season for our fans and clubs.”
One such unforeseen circumstance could be tied to surging COVID cases in Los Angeles County, as daily case numbers have skyrocketed in the past two weeks.
There were 2,240 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals as of Tuesday, a jump from 1,994 on Monday.
The Grammys ceremony set to take place at the Crypto.com Arena had been postponed indefinitely, while the Golden Globes red carpet and live audience had been canceled Wednesday due to surging omicron cases.
SoFi Stadium changed its COVID protocol in response to the winter surge of omicron cases mid-December. SoFi Stadium posted updated COVID protocols on its site announcing anyone entering the stadium, 5 years and older, will need proof of vaccination to get in. You can find all the entrance requirements here.
