TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State University students planning to attend football games this season will be required to undergo coronavirus testing first.
Athletic director David Coburn informed students last week that the school's enhanced protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 would be effective for this Saturday's game against Jacksonville State.
The new policy requires students to test negative for COVID-19 during the week prior to each home game they are planning to attend.
Students who request tickets to the upcoming game must be tested at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center between 9 a.m. Monday and 4 p.m. Wednesday. Students who are eligible to receive their requested ticket will be notified by Friday, pending a negative test result.
Any student who fails to get tested during that window or receives a positive test will not be allowed to attend the game.
Masks are also required to attend games. The mask requirement was in effect during the Seminoles' 16-13 loss to Georgia Tech in the season opener, but Coburn's message to students now is that the policy "will be strictly enforced."
Any fan who isn't wearing a mask will be asked to put one on or leave the game. As well, any student who violates FSU's safety protocols will not have access to the ticket lottery system in the future.
If the team's woeful performance through its first two games wasn't a deterrent for rule-breaking students, maybe this will be just the thing to keep them away from Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium on game days.