BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana State University is lifting its COVID-19 entrance requirements for football games in Tiger Stadium.
The university's athletic department said Friday that the decision, which removes the vaccine or negative testing requirements to enter the stadium, came after "the consistent and significant decline in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations" in the state.
The new policy will start with the Tiger's Oct. 16 game against Florida. Guests will still be required to wear masks in the indoor areas of the stadium in accordance with state and campus guidelines. Masks will no longer be required in outdoor locations.
Gameday testing, fast pass pre-verification, and other entrance-related procedures will no longer be in place.
“We cannot thank our fans enough for stepping up to help stop the spread while still supporting the Tigers,” LSU Director of Athletics Scott Woodward said.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Louisiana have significantly decreased after setting record levels in mid-August.
“This is amazing progress,” said Dr. Catherine O’Neal, Chief Medical Officer at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge. “But the game is not over. This virus will surge again, and Louisiana must be prepared before it arrives yet again by getting vaccinated."
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.