For the first time in nearly a year, local basketball fans can cheer on their favorite teams in person. 

"There was a time when we didn’t see this coming, so we are finally here,” said Adina Erwin, the general manager of the Barclays Center.

The Nets will welcome the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, while the Knicks host the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden.

What You Need To Know

  • Barclays Center will welcome back Nets fans on Tuesday, February 23,  for the first time since the pandemic began

  • Fans attending the game have to fill out a pre-screening survey and show proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test

  • Barclays will also have every fan in attendance take a rapid antigen test prior to entering the arena to confirm the negative PCR result

The state is limiting attendance to 10% of capacity, but Barclays has decided to have a soft opening, welcoming about 300 fans. 

Barclays is including testing before each game as a part of the ticket price.

"We didn't want our team to go and tell our fans they had to figure out how to go and get a test, stand in line. We were trying to take care of all the for them,” explained John Abbamondi, the CEO of BSE Global.

Ticket buyers are being mailed PCR test kits.

At arrival, fans have to show proof of a negative result and submit a prescreening survey.

Then they will head over to a testing table to recieve a nasal swab and wait in a designated area for their rapid results to re-confirm their negative PCR.

Results are generated in about 4 minutes.

Fans will then be redirected to their socially distant seats.

Seats are being sold only in groups of two or four.

There are some new group seating areas surrounded by plexiglass.

"We realized, with reduced capacity in a very large building, it gave us the opportunity to create new seating products that we normally wouldn’t have if we had a full building and so we have been referring to these as our living rooms,” added Abbamondi.

Concessions stands will be closed, but food can be ordered from seats. It will be packaged and delivered by arena staff. 

"The beverages people receive will all be closed and as far as the food is concerned is going to be very prepackaged and self contained,” said Erwin.

Officials at Barclays Center said after the NBA All Star Break they will work their way up to 10% capacity, which will mean welcoming back about 1,800 fans per game.