AEW had untested fans in Daily's Place for night one of Fyter Fest, but they were kept away from talent and staff.
According to Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet, AEW invited Daily’s Place or Jaguars sponsors to the event and they were allowed to bring family and friends. These fans were placed in the upper bowl of the arena and likely weren't tested as they were not close enough to talent. Those who were seated in the lower bowl or allowed backstage were tested for COVID-19.
Sources told Satin the outdoor space has a large buffer zone between tested people (lower bowl, talent, backstage) and those who have just been given temperature checks (upper bowl). The company felt as though this is more than adequate space to safely distance different pockets of people. The report goes on to say AEW is spacing people out beyond CDC guidelines for the spread so that the tested people won’t be affected by the non-tested.
The story of untested fans originated in a now-deleted Reddit post where a fan claimed they received a private invite to attend the show with about 60 other people who were non-crew members. It was explained that everyone entering was required to wear a mask and sign a waiver acknowledging they hadn’t been exposed to COVID-19. They were also given temperature checks.
It is unknown if the masks remained on throughout the duration of the show. During the Orange Cassidy vs. Chris Jericho brawl last Wednesday, fans were caught on television sitting together and not wearing face masks.
AEW has been testing talent and staff throughout the pandemic and has yet to have a reported positive test.
