Yahoo Finance LSU ditches COVID-19 wellness checks for fans entering Tiger Stadium to 'reduce lines and wait times'
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic still raging throughout the United States, LSU has opted to stop requiring CDC wellness checks for fans to enter Tiger Stadium.
LSU revised its coronavirus policies on Monday ahead of its second home game of the season this week. Fans are still required to wear masks and socially distance from one another in the stadium, but no medical wellness checks will be administered upon entry “in order to reduce lines and wait times at gate entry points.”
[ Coronavirus: How the sports world is responding to the pandemic ]
Instead, fans are encouraged to conduct self-assessments at home. However, there is nothing in place to ensure that fans do that before entering.
Louisiana Gov. approves policy
The policy was one that Gov. John Bel Edwards approved for teams across the state on Monday, too, as long as the sporting event is taking place in a parish where bars have been opened.
“Today we notified athletic departments and teams that they may begin to sell alcohol at sporting events this weekend, if their stadium, arena or complex is in a parish that meets the threshold for bars reopening and also if their parish has opted in to open bars. However, this will be limited to fans buying alcohol and returning to their seats to drink it and will require event managers to continue with their strong COVID mitigation measures, which are working,” Edwards said in a statement. “It remains vitally important that all fans attending games follow the clear guidance put in place by their teams, especially when it comes to wearing face masks. You cannot be served alcohol at a sporting event if you are not wearing a face mask, period.”
There have been more than 7.4 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States as of Monday afternoon, according to The New York Times, and nearly 210,000 deaths attributed to it. The country has reported more than 43,000 new cases a day over the past week, too. Louisiana has had nearly 170,000 cases, and is averaging about 500 new cases a day.
LSU is allowing just 25 percent capacity inside Tiger Stadium this season, bringing the total number of possible fans to about 26,000.
While a wellness check at the gate may slow the process down, it at least helps to curb the spread of the deadly virus — something that can spread wildly at a sporting event. If a fan has coronavirus-related symptoms but still wants to attend the Tigers’ game against Missouri on Saturday, there will be nothing in place to stop them.
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