ORLANDO, Fla. — On Wednesday night, the Orlando Magic return to the court at the Amway Center for their NBA season opener.

It's the team's first game with fans at Amway during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Orlando Magic open their 2020-21 NBA season tonight

  • A limited number of tickets were sold to fans for the game

  • It will mark the team's first home game since COVID-19 pandemic started

  • New COVID-19 rules include required masks, no-bag policy, cashless payments

The first change fans will notice is spaced-out seating.

Fewer than 4,000 fans will be admitted to the arena Wednesday night, compared to the usual 18,500 before the pandemic.

There are also new protocols for fans and around the arena. Changes include:

  • Face masks are required, with social distancing markers throughout the arena.
  • You'll notice Plexiglas at concession counters, and staff is deep cleaning high-trafficked areas.
  • There's also a new "No bag policy". Only small medical and parenting bags are allowed.
  • A cashless policy for food, drink, and merchandise within the arena has been implemented.

Amway Center's deputy chief venues officer said there's now a health and hygiene team in place focusing on cleanliness.

"We feel good. We had a couple of dry runs with preseasons games to kind of see what we're doing with our policies and tweak them a little bit to perfect them," said Deputy Chief Venues Officer Craig Borkon. "We feel really good. We've been working really hard the last 9 months to make sure we're keeping up with the industry standards."

Employees went through training in policies and COVID-19 safety protocols in place at the Amway Center. There is physically distanced seating, mandatory masks, and plexiguard barriers. They’ll also be testing those fans seated closest to the court and requiring pre-arrival symptom surveys.

“Our industry was the first industry to shut down when this hit us back in March, and we’re basically the last industry to come back," Borkon said. "So we have a lot of part-time employees that work in our venues, and they’ve been hit the hardest. So seeing them come back for the trainings, multiple trainings that we’ve had in the first couple preseason games with a smile on their faces is really great."

Legendary Guest Services team lead Lyn Henderson considers her colleagues family, and is thrilled they are back to work at the Amway for their first live events since March.

“Honestly I started crying, I did. I was a little verklempt just so happy to be there,” she said.

Before coming in Amway, fans will have to download the "Clear App" and fill out a COVID-19 screening, that you'll show to the attendant when you come in.

Air filters have been upgraded, and escalator handles now have UV lights that kill germs as the escalator moves.   

The Orlando Magic take on the Miami Heat Wednesday night at 7.

CORRECTION: This article was updated December 23, 2020 to say the attendance cap is around 4,000, not 3,000.