The Seattle Seahawks will play at least the first three home games of the 2020 season without their beloved “12th man,” as the organization announced that CenturyLink Field would not admit fans for the early part of the season due to COVID-19 concerns.

The decision comes at the recommendation of public health and government officials, and the organization will continue to follow the experts' advice regarding fans in the stadium for their latter five home contests.

The Seahawks released a statement explaining the decision:

“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult determination to play at least our first three home games…without fans in attendance. While CenturyLink Field has become the best home field advantage in the league thanks to the energy and passion of the 12s, the health and safety of all of our fans, players and staff remains our top priority. While we are hopeful that conditions will improve as the season moves forward, we will continue to follow the lead of public health and government officials to make future decisions about having fans in attendance.”

Seattle is set to host the New England Patriots in Week 2 (on “Sunday Night Football”), the Dallas Cowboys the following week, and the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5. After that, their next home game will be against NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 1.

The Seahawks will kick off their 2020 campaign against the Atlanta Falcons, who have already announced that no fans will be in attendance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Week 1.

If, at some point, Seattle gets permission to allow some fans into their games, the franchise will connect with season ticket holders who have requested to be kept in the loop.