Illinois announced Thursday that it will limit seating at Memorial Stadium to 20% capacity (10,000-12,000 people) during the upcoming football season.
The attendance limit is one of several measures the university is taking to limit the spread of COVID-19. Other steps listed on the Illini website are:
- Face coverings will be required in public areas, and six-foot social distancing will be observed.
- Tailgating will not be allowed.
- Increased cleaning will be conducted during the game and areas such as restrooms may be closed for brief periods for cleaning.
- Concessions will be “grab ‘n go”.
- All tickets will be delivered via mobile device.
Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said during a webcast that athletes will make their own decisions about returning campus and all financial aid will be protected.
The school has been conducting weekly COVID-19 testing and has done about 1,000 tests so far, he said.
“One of the real challenges for me has been dealing with the uncertainty,” he said. Illinois is still working on schedules for football and all fall sports. The Big Ten had already eliminated nonconference football games. The Pac-12 and Big East later followed suit.
