High school sporting events in Michigan are about to get a bit more crowded than they have been for the last month.
On Tuesday, the Michigan High School Athletic Association an increase in its spectator limits from two fans per participant to up to 1,000 fans per venue, according to MLive.com. Michigan’s new spectator policy goes into effect immediately. The increase was originally slated to take effect on Friday, Oct. 9, but applied to any competition beginning on Tuesday afternoon.
According to MHSAA guidelines, crowd sizes at high school sporting events will now be determined by the venue’s size. Indoor venues in Regions 1-5, 7 and 8 are allowed to hold 20% of their seating capacity up to 500 spectators. Indoor venues in Region 6 are allowed to hold up to 25%. Outdoor venues across Michigan will be allowed to hold 30% of their seating capacity up to 1,000 spectators.
The new spectator policy replaces the MHSAA’s two-spectators-per-participant limit, which was set to expire upon the start of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order 183 on Oct. 9. The order allows for outdoor social gatherings of up to 1,000 people as long as persons not part of the same household practice social distancing. Spectators must also wear face coverings.
Schools have the option to maintain the original two-spectator-per-participant policy.
