Timbers fans enjoy the game without mask requirements

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - Oregon and Washington lifted statewide indoor mask mandates at midnight Friday, meaning sports fans across Portland were able to go to games Saturday night without face masks for the first time in two years.

As Timbers fans flocked to Providence Park to watch the team take on Austin FC, there were mixed reactions about the lifted mandate.

“It’s very exciting,” said longtime Timbers fan Stephanie Browning. “Amazing. We have had season tickets for three seasons, so this is going back to the old days of normalcy. You can see people’s expressions and you’re able to have that human interaction. Knowing that people are all here to be together and have fun.”

There are some though, like Lee Foxall and Fred Evans, who say there will still be some situations where they will put their masks on.

“In crowds I will probably put it back on,” said Foxall. “It’s a personal choice. People do what they want now, it’s fine.”

“I’m feeling a little liberated, but I still have it in the back of my pocket just in case,” said Evans.

Meanwhile, others like Chris Battaglia, say for now, they’ll be keeping their masks on.

“I feel like in situations like this, I feel like people should still do it,” said Battaglia. “We’re kind of in here tight.”

While places like the Moda Center and Rose Quarter have laxed all COVID rules, the Timbers and Thorns say they will continue to require proof of COVID-19 vaccinations before you’re allowed into Providence Park.

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