LSU Athletics announced revisions to Tiger Stadium’s COVID-19 protocols on Monday afternoon.
Fans are no longer required to perform a CDC wellness check before entering the stadium and are reminded to wear a mask for the duration of the game. Alcohol sales will also resume, the athletic department said, but fans must return to their seats before consuming it.
“Fans arrived for game one with masks covering the nose and mouth and wore those masks in corridors, concessions and restroom lines,” the school said in a press release. “However, a large percentage of fans removed their masks while in their seats in Tiger Stadium. LSU Athletics is reminding fans to wear their masks while in their seats.”
Senior Associate Athletic Director Robert Munson said that the school hopes removing the wellness check will expedite the entry process into the stadium and make it more efficient.
LSU said all concession stands in the south lower section of Tiger Stadium will be open. Fans are encouraged to avoid long lines and look for stands with shorter lines.
Munson told The Washington Post on Tuesday it was too time consuming for fans to show both their wellness check results and their digital tickets before entry. He said the “cumbersome” process caused congestion, especially when fans had to step out of line to fill out the questionnaire.
“We closely monitored all aspects of game day with the new protocols in place knowing there would be areas for improvement,” Munson said in the release. “Among numerous tweaks and adjustments, observations and data gathered from fans highlighted five primary areas for modifications to our procedures and some areas of emphasis for fans.”
Tailgating is still prohibited on campus. Munson told The Post that the school found no violators of the policy in week one. He also said the school has not received a report of a fan testing positive for COVID-19 after attending the Mississippi State game.
In the home opener, Tiger Stadium occupancy was at 25%, hosting over 21,000 fans. LSU’s next home game is Saturday, Oct. 24, when the Tigers face South Carolina.
LSU Athletics nixes pre-game wellness check, reminds fans to wear masks in Tiger Stadium
By Reed Darcey
October 7, 2020