LSU forgets that COVID still exists and decides to get rid of CDC wellness checks at games

Donovan Dooley|published: Mon 5th October, 16:56 2020

Here we see LSU head coach, Ed Orgeron, yelling directly into the face of an open-mouthed player during the midst of a global pandemic. credits: | source: Getty Images

LSU announced that it will ditch CDC medical wellness checks as a requirement for entry to their stadium on game days, encouraging fans to administer their own self-assessment prior to going to Tigers games in order to thwart the spread of the deadly virus.

The university said that dissolving the added precaution would “reduce lines and wait times at gate entry points.” Because that’s the real problem, apparently.

The school is, however, still mandating that fans wear masks and stay in their assigned seats for physical distancing.

Back in September LSU announced that only 25 percent of fans would be allowed to attend games and that tailgating on campus would not be permitted. This means that approximately 26,000 people will get the opportunity to actually attend the games, and give themselves a thumb’s up before doing so.

Eliminating wellness checks is an interesting step for the Tigers’ athletic program considering that the state of Louisiana has had more than 168,000 people test positive for COVID-19 and over 5,300 deaths due to the virus. In East Baton Rouge Parish, not far from LSU’s campus, there have been over 15,000 cases reported.

It’s also quite surprising considering that just last month, Head Coach Ed Orgeron, made quite a bit of news when he said that “ most” of his players had contracted the virus.

“Not all of our players, but most of our players have caught it,” Orgeron explained to reporters. “Hopefully that once you catch it, you don’t get it again.”

Just to let you know, Ed, you can get it again. It’s been documented.

Obviously, these sporting games can serve as super-spreader events if not conducted with an abundance of caution. Taking away wellness checks recommended by the CDC would be the exact opposite of that.

It will likely make the threat of COVID spread even greater.

It doesn’t make any sense for any school to relax it’s protocols right now, especially when we have seen that this virus doesn’t care about who it can affect and cases continue to accumulate every day.

From the White House to the LSU locker room, this virus has made its presence known.

This is not the time to let up with safety protocols no matter how inconvenient they might be.