DURHAM, N.C. — Determined to safely allow spectators to attend Tuesday night’s basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke continued to update its COVID-19 protocols for students throughout the day to ensure they’ll have tested negative for the virus before entering the building.
Some students could have to pay $45 for an on-site rapid antigen test to prove they are COVID-19 negative. Others, who tested positive for the virus after early October but before Christmas Day, will be allowed in without proof of a negative test.
The No. 2 Blue Devils (11-1, 1-0 ACC) are playing Georgia Tech in a 9 p.m. game. It will be Duke’s first men’s basketball game since Dec. 22 when the Blue Devils beat Virginia Tech, 76-65, at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Since then, citing the surge in COVID-19 cases locally and nationally, the school announced in-person classes would not be held until Jan. 18 at the earliest. The school is allowing campus venues to remain open and events to be held at the discretion of the department holding the event.
In the case of basketball games at 9,314-seat Cameron, the athletics department is taking extra mitigation and prevention steps, as were laid out in multiple emails to students on Tuesday.
As it has all this season, Duke requires spectators to wear a face covering inside the arena for men’s and women’s basketball games. General public entering the arena must show either proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative test result from a sample taken within 72 hours of the game.
A ticket holder with neither of those things could pay $45 to take an on-site rapid antigen test, with a negative result allowing entry.
With a few exceptions, Duke students are already required to be fully vaccinated, as are Duke’s faculty and staff.
Last Friday, the school introduced further guidelines saying anyone returning to campus after the holiday break should sequester until receiving a negative test result.
Surveillance testing was available to students on Monday and, according to the guidelines released Tuesday for the basketball game, a negative test result from that sample would allow the student to enter Cameron Indoor.
Students who were tested Monday but who have yet to receive their results, as well as any students who did not take part in surveillance testing on Monday, were asked not to attend the game. That said, the $45 rapid antigen testing at DeJoy Family Club would also be available should they decide to.
December Duke graduates who won tickets via the lottery can take the rapid antigen test at the DeJoy Family Club at no cost to them.
In addition, any Duke students who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days (on or after Oct. 6), but not in the last 10 days (on or after Dec. 25), can attend without needing a recent negative test.
Duke’s team was impacted by COVID-19 over the holiday season, with positive tests among players and staff causing scheduled games at Clemson (Dec. 29) and Notre Dame (Jan. 1) to be postponed.
But coach Mike Krzyzewski said Monday enough players had cleared their isolation period to allow close to full participation in practices Sunday and Monday. He wasn’t sure, however, if the team would have a full coaching staff.
While he said he’s in favor of having full attendance at games, Krzyzewski also admitted this is an uncertain time due to the ever–present pandemic.
“Who knows where all of this is gonna go?” Krzyzewski said.
