LSU Rescinds COVID Vaccine, Testing Requirement to Enter Stadium

A COVID-19 testing sign is seen in front of Tiger Stadium before the game between Central Michigan and LSU on September 18, 2021 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Fans entering the stadium will be require to provide either proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test to enter Tiger Stadium. Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Louisiana State University said it rescinded its COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandate to enter Tiger Stadium.

“LSU will lift its COVID-19 entrance protocols for Tiger Stadium after consistent and significant decline in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations across the state of Louisiana and in the Baton Rouge area,” LSU wrote on Twitter Friday.

Previously, the school said that fans would have to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter the facility, which holds tens of thousands of people.

“We’ve seen our rates drop dramatically over the last couple of weeks, and today the entire state of Louisiana has less than a 5 percent positivity rate,” Catherine O'Neal, medical director at Our Lady of the Lake hospital, said in a video posted on the team’s Twitter. “Because of this success, we are able to lift the vaccine and testing requirements for entry into Tiger Stadium. By balancing mitigation efforts and risk in the ongoing fight to end the pandemic, we can protect our community and safely celebrate the traditions that bring us together,” she added.

At the same time, masks will no longer be required for children under 12 years of age, the school said.

“We remain fully committed to providing a gameday experience that is as safe and as enjoyable as possible for all guests, and we will continue to work with University leadership and rely on medical expertise to ensure we are taking reasonable and necessary precautions to protect the health of our community,” said LSU Director of Athletics Scott Woodward in a statement.

According to daily data provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the seven-day average for COVID-19 cases across the country has steadily declined in recent days. Earlier this week, the seven-day average for cases dipped below 100,000 for the first time in several weeks.

In Louisiana, hospitalizations for COVID-19, the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, has dropped by 80 percent over the past seven weeks, WAFB reported.