California Officials Deny Reports COVID Will Force Super Bowl to Another Location

California officials recently disputed reports that the NFL's Super Bowl could move to another city over COVID-19 restrictions in Los Angeles.

The NFL's Super Bowl LVI is scheduled to take place at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. However, WFAA news in Texas recently reported that a source within the NFL confirmed that the league was looking into other stadiums, such as the AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, as an option if COVID-19 restrictions in California could pose issues with playing the game and for fans attending.

During a press conference on Thursday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said, "I'm confident that will happen here, that we'll be able to have great Super Bowl celebration."

Newsweek reached out to Garcetti for further comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

California's Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly made similar comments in regard to the Super Bowl in Los Angeles a day earlier, where he said, "Let me just be abundantly clear that the Super Bowl is coming to L.A. I think Californians are excited to see that event occur."

Ghaly continued, "I know L.A. County is closely in contact with the NFL to make sure that strategies are put in place to ensure that people can enjoy this important event while making sure that we put things in place that allow COVID mitigation to be an important feature of the approach to that game that is just over a month away."

According to the Associated Press, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy issued a statement earlier this week saying that the league plans to play the upcoming Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium.

"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," the statement said, according to the AP.

In order to attend a game at SoFi Stadium, fans are required to show either proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. Mask wearing is also required at all times throughout the stadium.

In California, COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in recent weeks, and the state is currently averaging around 56,000 new cases daily, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Earlier this week, the Grammy Award show, which was set to be held at the crypto.com arena in Los Angeles, was postponed indefinitely, with officials citing concerns over the possible spread of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.