Boston College Athletics announced Friday that fans at Alumni Stadium and other campus athletics stadiums and arenas will have to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken in the previous 72 hours.
The policy will go into effect for BC football’s season opener against Colgate on Sept. 4.
“We have an obligation to do all that we can to help mitigate the spread of the deadly virus and protect not only our Boston College supporters but also our entire campus community who are doing their part to help keep themselves—and all of us—safe by becoming fully vaccinated,” second-year athletic director Pat Kraft wrote in a BCEagles.com statement.
Children under the age of 12 aren’t required to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test for entry but must wear a face covering while in attendance.
BC is attempting to roll out an app that will enable guests at university functions, including athletic events, to upload their CDC COVID-19 vaccination cards or negative PCR tests. The QR code-inspired app is expected to be ready for Family Weekend (Sept. 24-26), per BC Athletics.
LSU became the first SEC school to adopt such a vaccination and testing policy on Tuesday. The Tigers followed in the footsteps of Tulane, Oregon State and Oregon. BC is the fifth FBS program to require vaccination or a negative PCR test to attend home games in 2021.
BC was already one of six ACC schools requiring students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated unless they have a religious or medical exemption, according to ESPN. The others are Duke, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
At the moment, 65.6% of Massachusetts residents are fully vaccinated, according to The New York Times. That’s the second-highest rate among all states, per the Times’ data.
According to BC Athletics, 99% of the all BC undergraduate students as well as 99% of faculty and staff have been vaccinated. The football program is 100% vaccinated.
BC football’s vaccine mandate resulted in the transfer of only one player. Last season, the Eagles helped set the standard for COVID-19 prevention in college football. The team went more than 8,000 COVID-19 tests without a positive and didn’t have a practice or a game canceled. BC didn’t have fans in Alumni Stadium in 2020.
The team played just three games with fans last fall, and only one of those resulted in a crowd of more than 1,000 people: BC’s Halloween matchup at No. 1 Clemson (18,690 fans).
“We recognize that many in our BC family are already vaccinated and that those who are not may be inconvenienced by the testing requirement for entry, but this decision is made in the collective best interests of our community, and the community around us,” Kraft said.
BC Athletics press release details about the policy:
• Children under the age of (12) twelve do not need to provide proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID19 test for entry, but they will be required to wear a face covering while attending any Boston College athletics event.
• Attendees (12) twelve years of age and older will be required to present proof of being at least two weeks past receiving a second dose in a two-dose vaccine series (Pfizer or Moderna, or other World Health Organization-approved vaccines), or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. A CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card or a photocopy or mobile photo of the card is acceptable. For home football games, guests will need to present proof at one of a dozen Welcome Tents adjacent around Alumni Stadium or at designated parking areas. Once proof is verified, guests will receive a non-transferable wristband for entrance into the stadium.
• For those guests who are unvaccinated or who cannot provide proof of full vaccination, documentation of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within three days of the event will be required. A test result must be in the form of written medical documentation (paper or electronic copy) and the documentation must include: test result, type of test, entity issuing the result, and the specimen collection date.
• Proof of full vaccination and/or documentation of a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of the event will also require the presentation of a valid driver's license or government-issued form of identification, such as a passport.
