The Cyclones, however, are still preparing to let fans participate in football video games this fall..
Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard revealed on Monday that they will permit about 25,000 fans to attend their season opener versus Louisiana-Lafayette at Jack Trice Stadium on Sept. 12..
[Coronavirus: How the sports world is reacting to the pandemic] Fans will be required to wear face coverings at all times, tailgating lots will be closed and fans will need to remain in their socially distanced seats..
Ames, Iowa, is the most popular city in the nation for the COVID-19 pandemic..
” If our mitigation actions achieve success, we will permit all season ticket buyers to attend the Oklahoma video game Oct. 3,” Pollard said in a letter to fans, by means of the Des Moines Register. “However, if we identify that mitigation steps were not followed properly at the first game, we will have no fans at future video games [beginning with Oklahoma]”.
Coronavirus surging in Iowa.
The coronavirus is surging in Iowa– which is currently the worst state in the nation in new cases per capita over the previous week– and in Ames. The New York Times identified the central-Iowa college town as the worst city in the nation on Monday with 8.2 brand-new cases per 1,000 citizens..
Iowa City, where the University of Iowa is, is presently No. 2 on that list. The Hawkeyes stopped briefly workouts for all athletic teams on Monday after finding 93 positive cases among athletes evaluated recently.
Story County, where Iowa State is situated, presently has a 14-day positivity rate of 21.3 percent, per the report. Eighty percent of those cases were in individuals between the ages of 18-40, too..
Iowa State invited students back to school for in-person classes previously this month..
There were more than six million validated cases of the coronavirus in the United States since Monday night, according to The New York Times, and more than 183,000 deaths credited to it. Iowa has nearly 65,000 cases– 8,000 of which was available in the past week..
While this may look like a risky relocation provided the situation in the state, Pollard insists he isnt going to take any chances. If the very first video game doesnt go well, he said he will not be reluctant to make a change.
In order for it to work, Pollard said, its “nearly 100 percent” on the fans to comply with the constraints they have in place.
” If our mitigation actions are successful, we will enable all season ticket buyers to participate in the Oklahoma video game Oct. 3,” Pollard stated in a letter to fans, via the Des Moines Register.” Ill have absolutely no tolerance for any fan that doesnt comply, I do not care how much cash they give,” Pollard said, through the Des Moines Register. “If you want to be in the arena, youre going to have to comply with what weve put together. They desire to play. They desire to have fans.
Ames, Iowa, was listed as the worst city for the coronavirus pandemic in the country by The New York Times on Monday. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images) More.
More from Yahoo Sports:.
” Ill have absolutely no tolerance for any fan that does not comply, I dont care how much money they offer,” Pollard said, by means of the Des Moines Register. “If you wish to be in the stadium, youre going to have to abide by what weve assembled. We dont want you here if you do not do it. I do not care who it is. “This is a huge opportunity to support our student-athletes. They wish to play. They wish to have fans. Were putting in place what we feel is essential for us to be able to do that.”.
