Nets continue to support COVID-19 vaccination as playoffs begin Saturday 

Nets CEO John Abbamondi declined on Thursday to estimate the number of fans that will be allowed to attend Game 1 of the team's first-round playoff series with the Celtics on Saturday night at Barclays Center, but he agreed there likely will be at least 10,000 fans in the building.

More importantly, Abbamondi stressed the commitment of the Nets and owner Joseph Tsai to making sure as many fans as possible are vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. The majority of fans in the building will be seated in vaccinated sections, but Abbamondi said there also will be multiple sections to accommodate unvaccinated fans who test negative for the virus before entering the building.

"Let me say that we’re not neutral on the question of vaccines," Abbamondi said. "We are in lock-step with the governor [Andrew Cuomo] on this, and we are trying to nudge people to get vaccinated.

"We are supporting a mobile vaccination unit that is going to some under-penetrated zip codes throughout the borough. We’ve launched a program where we are raffling off tickets and giving out tickets to people who get vaccinated in those zip codes. We are really trying to encourage our fans to get vaccinated."

Barclays Center seats 17,732 for basketball, and Abbamondi said the Nets could fill every seat with fully vaccinated fans. But they plan to accommodate unvaccinated fans in sections that will be at only 25% capacity because of social distancing protocols.

The Nets expect to know the vaccination status of every person who enters the building. "Everybody who comes in the building will either provide proof of their full vaccination status – and they can do that with CDC cards or Excelsior pass – or they have to provide evidence of a negative test," Abbamondi said.

"We’ve been offering those tests to fans at no additional charge at our building, which is quite a big operation. With the increased capacity for Saturday, we actually have taken over space across the street to set up an additional testing center there for the fans that need it. We are not just trusting people. We are going to respectfully ask for evidence of vaccination status."

Abbamondi said all patrons and employees will be required to wear facemasks in common areas, but fans in the vaccinated sections can remove their masks when seated. Unvaccinated minors will be allowed to sit with fully vaccinated adults. All concession stands will be open, and all bathroom fixtures will be available.

By Greg Logan

Gregory.Logan@newsday.comGregLogan1

Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.