LSU announced its own vaccine verification rules a day after the New Orleans Saints put theirs into practice at the Caesars Superdome, and that timeline was no coincidence.
Tigers game day officials were at Monday night's preseason game in New Orleans to observe how they handled everything, which helped guide LSU in its own decisions, Athletic Director Scott Woodward said Wednesday in an interview on ESPN 104.5.
“It’s all about our student-athletes and our fans and our community. We at LSU and for people to come to Tiger Stadium," Woodward said. "We want them to feel safe and we want them to feel at home."
LSU's AD also expanded upon two important points relative to gameday, the first being that vaccine verification will not be a requirement for anyone partaking in pre-game tailgates, which are expected to be operating at full capacity. The team also will not be requiring masks to be worn within Tiger Stadium for fans 12 years and up.
Children from ages 5 to 12 will be required to wear masks, however, as they are unable to get the COVID vaccine and will be exempted from verification rules.
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Each city, school and stadium will have the responsibility of assigning its own game day requirements relative to the coronavirus pandemic. Under L.A. County regulations that went into affect earlier this month, masks will be required regardless of vaccination status for the Tigers' opening game against UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 4.
“We’re just being extra cautious because, like I said, we love our student-athletes, our fans, our students and everyone involved at LSU," Woodward said. "And for us this is a very smart way to go about being protected.”
Woodward said he's been in the community speaking to fans, many of whom have reached out to show gratitude for rules put into place. The vaccine verification process will operate similarly to how they went at the Superdome, with fans being required to verify their vaccine status before entering the stadium. Unvaccinated fans can also gain entry by showing a negative PCR test taken within the prior 72 hours.
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To expedite the process, fans will be given the ability to be pre-screened for faster entry at the gate. Woodward said LSU representatives will be out at the tailgates to conduct those pre-screenings, where Woodward says he expects more even more people on hand than the 100,000-person capacity at Tiger Stadium. With the new rules the stadium will operate at full capacity, a reversal from the maximum of 25,000 in attendance for games in the 2020 season.
“It’s just so important to me, because we couldn’t go back to last year. Not only from just a bummer standpoint, it’s just financially brutal what happened," Woodward said. "And we want to bring that back, and so we’re excited about welcoming 100,000 fans … and doing it in a safe and proper way.”
More information on LSU's gameday policies can be found on LSUSports.net.