Ohio State capping stadium attendance at 20 percent if football games played this year

Ohio State University will limit crowds at its stadium to about 20 percent if football games are played this season amid the coronavirus pandemic, the school’s athletics department announced Tuesday. 

The school also said that those in the stadium would be required to physically distance and wear face coverings. Limited concessions would be available and school would prohibit tailgating, according to the announcement. 

Ohio State is also offering fans with paid season tickets to opt out of this season. 

“We understand not all fans will feel comfortable attending games for health and safety reasons, or may not be interested in attending due to reduced capacity guidelines,” the department of athletics said in a message to ticket holders. “Therefore, we are allowing all season ticket holders to opt out of their 2020 football season tickets commitment without longevity or eligibility penalty, if they wish.”

Ticket holders who choose to roll over their payment or convert their purchase into a charitable contribution will receive bonus points toward the 2021 seat selection, according to the announcement. 

The department of athletics underscored its message by noting that no final decision has been made regarding the 2020 football season. 

Limiting capacity to 20 percent means that more than 20,000 people could still be allowed in the stadium, which has capacity to seat more than 100,000 people. 

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said it is “too early” to determine if it would be safe for thousands of fans to gather at the stadium. 

“It’s too early, frankly, to determine what is safe. It’s too early to determine whether putting over 20,000 people at Ohio Stadium is really a safe thing or not,” DeWine reportedly said Tuesday.