Officials at Iowa State University announced they are backing off plans to allow limited seating at the school’s first football game in September.
In a statement released on Tuesday, athletic director Jamie Pollard said the school will not allow fans into Jack Trice Stadium when the Cyclones take on Louisiana on Sept. 12.
“Over the weekend, [ISU President Wendy] Wintersteen gave our working group the approval to move forward with the plans that were jointly developed,” Pollard said. “Our department announced those plans on Monday, which included allowing fans, who purchased season tickets, to attend the first game. President Wintersteen shared with me on Tuesday evening that, after weighing feedback she has received from the community, she has decided to reverse the decision. As a result, we will play the season opener without fans.”
Officials originally said as many as 25,000 people would be allowed into the game but changed course after a recent cluster of coronavirus cases were recorded in ISU’s home city of Ames. Almost 1,000 new cases of the highly contagious disease were reported in one day in late August, prompting state officials to close all bars and nightclubs in the state’s most populous counties until the end of September.
The decision comes one day after the White House instructed the state to increase restrictions on residents to slow the spread of coronavirus.
