The University of Cincinnati is keeping its no-fan COVID safety protocol in place for the final three Bearcats home football games of the season.
"We have continued to make these extremely difficult decisions with the safety of our UC community, fans, student-athletes, coaches and staff in mind," announced UC's Director of Athletics John Cunningham on Sunday.
"The current level of the virus in our local community and Hamilton County is a reality we are dealing with. Our obligation to mitigate the risk of community spread has not changed and we will continue to consult with University, city and state authorities on best practices. We want fans in the stands for our games and it's heartbreaking to keep having to make decisions like this, but we want to ensure the environment is safe for everyone. We have had a number of unique fan interactive opportunities and look forward to building on that as we conclude the home football season."
The only humans allowed in UC's Nippert Stadium during games days — besides the players/coaches themselves — are family members of the players and coaches from both UC and the opposing team, as well as UC's band, cheer and dance squads (and the Bearcat mascot); those spirit teams are not allowed to perform on the field, but can be socially distant in the stands.
The final three home games take place:
- Oct. 31 against University of Memphis Tigers
- Nov. 7 against the University of Houston Cougars
- Nov. 13 against the East Carolina University Pirate
Follow Bearcats football at twitter.com/gobearcatsfb.
