Regina mayor, REAL CEO call for patience and understanding at first Saskatchewan Roughriders game

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are set to take the field Friday evening for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regina's mayor and the president and CEO of Real Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) are asking for understanding and patience at the first game back.

"I am, on the one hand, very excited and I'm also nervous. I want the residents of Regina to be safe. I want the residents of Saskatchewan to be safe," Mayor Sandra Masters said.

Masters said it's been frustrating to watch the pace of vaccinations slow and see less than 50 per cent of the population aged12 to 30 vaccinated. Masters said that number needs to rise, as two vaccinations are shown to protect well against the Delta variant of COVID-19.

"I'm excited for the Riders. I'm excited for the fans. And I'm nervous because we would like people to make the extra effort as, frankly, 70 per cent of the population did earlier on this year in making the effort to go out and get vaccinated," Masters said.

At the same time, not everyone is in the same frame of mind and people should be kind and understanding of the different comfort levels, she said.

REAL president and CEO Tim Reidsaid the stadium is being cleaned tothe highest standard of sport events and convention centres. He said operationally, REAL is prepared.

"The reality of it is it's been a long time since any of us, about 40,000 people, came together. And I think going from zero to 100 miles an hour is always something that creates stress and strain," Reid said.

Reid said it's going to be stressful for patrons and staff, so he's asking people to be patient and treat each other with fairness. He said there are going to be some hiccups, but people should remember this is all new.

"I can't wait to hear that energy that comes from live sport and live events," Reid said. "I've missed it for a long time and with a sold out crowd, I think Friday is going to be an incredible celebration. I think it's going to be a lot more than just a football game."

It's also key to remember that people may want to wear face masks and face shields, he said. People may want to follow physical distancing parameters and should give themselves a lotof extra time to get to the stadium and their seats, Reid said.