MORGANTOWN — The following information will assist fans attending West Virginia’s football home opener on Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium. Game time against Long Island is 5 p.m.
As the stadium will return to normal operations, including pregame tailgating and the complete game-day experience, WVU strongly encourages all fans to be vaccinated. A COVID-19 vaccination is the single-most important and successful tool to protect fans from the virus and its many variants. Increased vaccination rates, coupled with proven preventative measures such as masks, physical distancing, self-symptom monitoring, COVID-19 testing and good personal hygiene (e.g. handwashing and hand sanitizer), are the proven tools fans can use to fight COVID-19 and the spread of the disease to others.
The university is following CDC and Monongalia County Health Department guidelines, which do outline additional protection measures in light of the Delta variant. The CDC, the Monongalia County Health Department and the university recommend fully vaccinated people and unvaccinated individuals wear a mask in public indoor settings, particularly in crowded areas. Those not fully vaccinated are also encouraged to wear a mask outdoors, including in the parking lots and in the stadium.
All fans should self-evaluate prior to game day or before arriving at the stadium. Fans who might be sick or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should stay home and contact a physician.
The athletics department, in conjunction with local, state and university officials will continue monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and make changes to the stadium protocols, if needed, based on current health conditions.
With the return to 100% capacity, the following pregame schedule will be in effect. The parking lots will open at 7 a.m. with tailgating permitted. Football’s new Hall of Traditions will open to the public three hours before game time and close at kickoff. The Chick-fil-A Kids Zone returns to the Caperton Indoor Practice Facility for four games starting 2½ hours before kickoff, and the Mountaineer Mantrip will take place about 2 hours and 45 min before game time.
WVU’s Clear Bag Policy remains in effect, and the athletics department invites and encourages fans to visit wvusports.com/clearbag for more information, to view pictures of permissible and non-permissible items and to obtain answers to frequently asked questions about the clear bag policy.
Fans are asked to reduce what they bring to the stadium to minimize contact points and bag searches. When security personnel check bags at the gate, they will not be divesting the bags – each fan will be responsible for showing the contents of his/her individual bag. This includes fans removing all items from their bag for inspection as needed. For quicker entry, do not bring bags inside the stadium.
Additional home game information and updates will be provided on Tuesday afternoons of game week.
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