A pre-Super Bowl segment featuring CNN anchor Ana Cabrera and reporter Randi Kaye during a live shot from a Tampa bar near Raymond James Stadium focused more on the coronavirus pandemic and a lack of mask-wearing than in getting fans’ reactions to the game.
As Cabrera prepared to bring in Kaye, she noted that the correspondent was “enjoying all this excitement there in person — what are you seeing and hearing ahead of tonight’s big game?”
Kaye’s immediate focus wasn’t fan-related, as she led with how she and her production team were “trying to enjoy it safely,” but because of the mask-less crowd, she felt the need to double-mask.
“If you look at the scene, behind me you can see that a lot of people are here,” Kaye began. “They’re gathered. They’re already cheering for their favorite team. They’re outside. So it’s considered to be safer. And they are allowed to be here. They’re only supposed to take their masks off while they’re eating or drinking. But you can see quite a large crowd. Certainly not all in one single-family or one single household that are mixing.”
“But that is allowed here in the city of Tampa right now,” Kaye added.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs 31-9, marking Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady’s seventh win in 10 appearances, both historical firsts.
Continuing, Kaye then featured a clip shot Saturday evening showing large crowds of revelers in Ybor City, a popular spot filled with bars and eateries. Kaye described the scene and the “massive crowd, again, not many of them wearing a mask,” as Super Bowl fans gathered to celebrate.
“There were some police there but we’re unsure about citations,” Kaye said. “I spoke to the Tampa police and I asked them, ‘What are you doing about this?’ A lot of people were very concerned.”
She went on to say that the dance floors were full of people and that most were not wearing masks despite a mandate.
“If you’re not wearing a mask and you can’t safely social distance, you could be fined up to $500, but that’s being largely ignored by many here in the city,” Kaye claimed. “The Tampa Police tell me that they’re very disappointed by what they’ve seen and some of these establishments do risk being shut down.”
Kaye went on to say that roughly 30,000 people per day have been streaming into Tampa in the week before the game, and that the last thing city and health officials want “is for the Super Bowl to turn into a super spreader event.”
“But the city is extremely crowded. Officials are asking people not to yell, not to cheer. But we’re already hearing that here. They know that that’s how the virus spreads. They’re very concerned about that. They also don’t want them to drink a lot of alcohol. But we’re seeing plenty of that as well,” Kaye continued.
“They say that’s when people let their guard down. They might not social distance and take all of the safety protocols that they need to be taking, Ana. A lot happening here in the city of Tampa. Of course, people are excited about the game. But there’s safety to be concerned about too,” she added.
“No kidding, it is really concerning to see all those images with people not wearing masks and seemingly to have just completely let their guard down when it comes to the pandemic,” Cabrera responded.
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Jon is a staff writer for BizPac Review with 30 years' worth of reporting experience, as well as an author and U.S. Army veteran. He has a BA in political science from Ashford University and an MA in national security studies/intelligence analysis from American Military University.
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