An arena full of maskless fans: Could that be a problem?

Team jersey? Check.

Purple face paint? Check.

Mask? Oh, maybe that goes in my pocket.

The Phoenix Suns are going to the NBA Finals, and the downtown arena will be packed.

But unlike cups of beer and Devin Booker signs, an accessory worn for more than a year in public might be harder to spot.

The Suns website says masks must be worn unless fans are eating or drinking. But a team spokesperson said officials now "expect" and "encourage" face coverings. 

Many fans have been maskless.

But concern has been growing about a more contagious version of the new coronavirus. 

The so-called delta variant is gaining momentum in unvaccinated people and has some public health officials worried about its increased transmissibility.

The Arizona-based Translational Genomics Research Institute had identified as of Friday 122 known cases of the delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. That’s up from 49 cases as of June 21, according to the nonprofit’s sequencing dashboard. But only a sample of all cases are sequenced, and the process takes some time, so there likely are more cases.

In light of the variant’s spread, some health agencies, some hospital leaders and health experts are suggesting people wear masks indoors in public places, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated, to help slow the spread.

“We certainly would advocate that people wear masks, that our fans do wear masks, since they’re coming together in these indoor, not well-ventilated environments, to help us decrease the amount of virus transmission that we see, with this virus being prevalent within our communities,” Dr. Michael White, chief clinical officer for Phoenix-based Valleywise Health, said at a news briefing Thursday .

The Valley’s safety net health care system has seen a recent uptick in COVID-19 patients across its hospitals, from one COVID-positive patient two weeks ago to 12 as of Thursday, White said.

“The maximum protection that you can get as you choose to go into these events would be to wear a mask in these environments,” White advised.

Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, said he doesn't believe the Suns should require masks at this point in the pandemic, especially if they're not going to enforce it.

“At this point pretty much everybody’s had a chance (to get the vaccine). Some people have chosen not to. If they go to the game and get sick, it’s a choice they make," Humble said.

The three Western Conference finals games played in Phoenix over the past two weeks saw crowds of about 16,600 fans.

Suns 'expect fans to wear masks'

Although it would be hard to know by watching footage or seeing fan pictures, masks are required for entry for all events at the Phoenix Suns Arena. That includes Suns, Phoenix Mercury and Arizona Rattlers games.

Even people who are fully vaccinated must wear face masks at all times unless eating or drinking in their seat or designated eating areas, according to the arena website. Signs about wearing masks have been posted around the arena for Suns and Mercury contests. 

Fans who are at high risk for COVID-19, who are feeling sick or who have been recently exposed to a positive case are asked not to attend games.

"We still expect fans to wear masks throughout the arena and required at court level per NBA rules," Dean Stoyer, the team’s chief marketing and communications officer, wrote in a text message. 

He said masks are encouraged but once the arena hit over 16,000 fans, "it became increasingly harder to enforce." 

Humble said it seems from what he's seen on TV that only fans in the front row really consistently wear their masks. He thinks that's likely because it's actually enforced there, as those fans are closest to the players.

For the rest of the arena, he said it doesn't make sense to require masks, particularly if the mandate won't be enforced. 

“You can say that you put that on your website, and you can even print it on the tickets, but if you don’t enforce it, then it’s not real," Humble said.

Phoenix has not been involved in mask discussions with the Suns since the city’s mask mandate ended, said Jeanine L'Ecuyer, Mayor Kate Gallego’s communications director. Mask rules and enforcement are up to the Suns.

“The mayor’s perspective has all along been large groups of people, it’s probably in your best interest to mask,” she said.

Should masks be worn indoors?

Mask-wearing indoors has become a fresh topic of discussion among public health officials given the delta variant.

Some say yes, both unvaccinated and vaccinated people should be wearing masks when around a lot of people indoors. 

It's probably a good idea to wear masks indoors in crowded situations, since it’s still possible vaccinated people can get the virus, said Dr. Joshua LaBaer, director of Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute, at a Wednesday news briefing.

“The data suggests that people who are vaccinated are at very low risk of getting infected in general, extremely low risk of getting severely infected, but they still could get the virus and they could transmit it, so if you’re in a crowded circumstance, that’s something to consider," LaBaer said.

The World Health Organization last week urged even people who are fully vaccinated to wear masks indoors and practice social distancing to avoid getting infected with the delta variant. And Los Angeles County’s public health department recommended Monday that everyone wear masks indoors in public places — regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated — in light of the delta variant. 

But others say even with the more transmissible variant spreading, masks don't need to be required. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still says fully vaccinated people can resume activities indoors and outdoors without masks or physical distancing, unless local places or businesses have stricter rules. The state health department follows CDC guidelines. 

People who are not vaccinated should still wear masks in public, especially when indoors around people they don’t live with or know the vaccination status of, state health director Dr. Cara Christ said this week.

She said unvaccinated people are "highly at risk for getting the delta variant of COVID-19."

Humble said as long as people aren't feeling sick, they should be able to decide for themselves about wearing masks indoors, depending on their personal risk tolerance.

While a packed arena without masks would have been "irresponsible" a couple months ago, Humble said he thinks "it's generally OK" at this point.

"If you choose not to get vaccinated, then you’re choosing a higher risk lifestyle, no matter whether you go to Suns games or not, and that’s your choice to make. Just like you could choose to skydive or not, just like you could choose to smoke or not."

Reach the reporter at Alison.Steinbach@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-444-4282. Follow her on Twitter @alisteinbach.