For outdoor events at facilities with a capacity of 2,000 or less, the allowable rate is 25 percent. For example if a football stadium can hold 1,000 people, then 250 will be allowed under the new guidance.

The second tier for outdoor events is facilities that can hold 2,001-10,000 people is at 20 percent and facilities over 10,000 can allow 15 percent up to 7,500 people.

The new numbers include everyone with players, game workers, coaches, etc.

“Pennsylvanians must continue to social distance and wear masks as we prepare to fight the virus through the fall and winter,” Gov. Wolf said. “Regardless of the size of an event or gathering, those things are still imperative to stopping the spread of COVID. We know everyone has sacrificed in many ways and today’s announcement reflects a gradual adjustment to our lives as we learn how we can do things safely until we have a cure, or an effective vaccine is widely available.”

The top tier could severely affect college and professional sports. Heinz Field in Pittsburgh has a capacity of 68,400, and Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, has a capacity of 69,176. Penn State’s Beaver Stadium has a capacity of 106,572, but under the new guidance, the three facilities can hold just 7,500 people. Hersheypark Stadium is listed online with a capacity of 7,286, which means the PIAA football and soccer championships can hold 1,456 people.

For indoor events, the rate is 20 percent for facilities that have a capacity of 2,000 or less, which would be most high school gyms around the state. Indoor facilities with a capacity of 2,001-10,000 have a 15 percent allowable rate and anything over 10,000 is 10 percent up to 3,750 people.

“We will closely monitor cases and outbreaks and if our case investigation and contact tracing efforts determine that events or gatherings are the source of an outbreak, we can and will dial back these new limits,” Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine said. “Public health and safety are our first concern and will always remain as such.”

The new guidance comes on the heels of legal and political showdowns within the state involving Wolf. Over the past few weeks, Wolf’s previous guidance of a maximum of 25 people indoors and 250 outdoors was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge in Pittsburgh. Wolf is currently appealing the ruling and was granted a stay last week by the 3rd Circuit Court in Philadelphia to keep the guidance in place.

The stay was granted after the state legislature failed to override a veto by Wolf. The state house and senate passed House Bill 2787, which would have allowed school districts in Pennsylvania to developed their own spectator policies for events, including sports. Wolf vetoed the bill and 24 state representatives changed their minds and did not support and override to the veto, causing the override to fail.