The University of Kentucky expects football games in 2021 to more closely resemble pre-pandemic events.
The school on Wednesday announced details regarding its game-day functions and policies, including the anticipated return of tailgating on campus and its "Catwalk," a popular pregame parade in which players entering the stadium are surrounded and welcomed in by members of the general public. The Catwalk will be "modified," per a release, and a UK spokesperson confirmed to the Herald-Leader that fans won't be allowed to make contact with players during that event.
No unique policies will be enforced regarding COVID-19 beyond what the campus has already put into effect. For attendeesat Kroger Field, that means masks will be required in indoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status. In its release, UK specifies bathrooms, club seating, the press box and elevators as indoor spaces. The concourse is considered an open-air location in which masks aren't required for vaccinated attendees.
UK says unvaccinated attendees must wear masks at all times while at Kroger Field, but the school will not require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 tests prior to entry at the stadium. All attendees riding a shuttle to the venue must wear a mask while aboard the shuttle.
All game-day ticketing and season parking tickets are mobile-only in 2021, a policy previously announced by the athletics department.
LSU, another school in the Southeastern Conference, announced Tuesday that it will require attendees to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test from within the past 72 hours prior to admission to its football games. Georgia, to which UK will travel in October, announced Tuesday that it is not enforcing any COVID-19 mandates during its football games this fall.
