Gamecocks to host COVID-19 vaccine site on gamedays outside Williams-Brice Stadium
South Carolina released its official COVID-19 protocols for the 2021 football season eight days ahead of its Sept. 4 kickoff date with Eastern Illinois.
The protocols won’t include mandated vaccinations or masks as a requirement for attendance, but USC will give fans an opportunity to receive a COVID-19 vaccine on gameday. Williams-Brice Stadium will not have capacity limits like it did in 2020, and the school said season ticket sales were approaching 40,000 as of last week.
Fans will not be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter Williams-Brice Stadium. Boston College, Oregon State, Oregon, Tulane and LSU require fans to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test to attend home games.
Gamecock Athletics will also partner with DHEC to offer free vaccinations for fans who attend games this season. Fans can be vaccinated at Gamecock Village in Gamecock Park from 2:30-6:30 p.m. before the Eastern Illinois game.
Williams-Brice Stadium will be cashless and paperless for the 2021 season, accepting only card or mobile payment at concessions and mobile tickets to get into the games.
Attendees will not be required to wear face coverings, though they will be “strongly encouraged.” USC asks that those who have symptoms of COVID-19, have been exposed to the virus or test positive not enter Williams-Brice Stadium.
USC did say, in a statement, that “as COVID-19 cases in the Midlands and around the state of South Carolina fluctuate, the university could alter its plan for these protocols.”
On Friday, South Carolina reported its third-highest COVID-19 case count since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. The state added 6,697 cases, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
South Carolina 2021 football schedule
- Sept. 4: home vs. Eastern Illinois, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 11: at East Carolina, noon
- Sept. 18: at Georgia, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 25: home vs. Kentucky
- Oct. 2: home vs. Troy
- Oct. 9: at Tennessee
- Oct. 16: home vs. Vanderbilt
- Oct. 23: at Texas A&M
- Oct. 30: OPEN
- Nov. 6: home vs. Florida
- Nov. 13: at Missouri
- Nov. 20: home vs. Auburn
- Nov. 27: home vs. Clemson
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 5:14 PM.
