LSU rescinds coronavirus vaccine, testing requirement to enter football stadium

Louisiana State University (LSU) announced Friday it is rescinding coronavirus vaccine and testing requirements to enter its football 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,” the school’s football team posted on their Twitter. 

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. pic.twitter.com/LJbTpPdXW8

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) October 8, 2021

LSU had announced toward the end of August that fans would have to have proof of vaccination or a negative test in order to attend games. 

“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% positivity rate,” Catherine O’Neal, medical director at Our Lady of the Lake hospital, said in the video the team posted. 

O’Neal celebrated the “win” for the state but continued to encourage people to get vaccinated and wear a mask when appropriate in order to keep case rates down. 

Even when the requirements to get into the stadium were in place, some fans said they weren’t asked for their vaccination status or COVID-19 test when entering, The Advocate reported.

The announcement comes days after the Tigers suffered their second loss of the season, likely putting them out of playoff contention and possibly decreasing demand for tickets.

Although cases are finally down, Louisiana was struggling earlier in the year with a rise in delta variant cases that put pressure on its hospital systems.

Throughout the pandemic, Louisiana has recorded more than 746,000 cases and more than 14,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.