Spectators at a football game pre-Covid. (The Enterprise/Yadira Lopez)
ONTARIO – More fans can now attend local sporting events as the Oregon Health Authority has loosened restrictions in some circumstances.
The guidance for outdoor sports, which include football, soccer and cross country, shifted to allow a maximum of 150 spectators observing each game.
The guidance for volleyball didn’t change. The maximum number of people inside at games and practices continues to be 100.
Tom Snook, athletic director at Vale High School, said that due to the low number of spectators allowed inside the gym, parents were being rotated in and out to see volleyball play.
“As one group of parents comes in, (the previous group) leaves, we clean the bleachers. It’s only Vale parents, we’re not accepting any out-of-town visiting parents,” Snook said.
However, Snook said that some visiting fans would now be allowed at football games.
“It’s primarily going to be parents,” he said.
Ontario High School announced that each volleyball player could bring one parent to their game, and that each football player would be issued five tickets for family and friends.
Ontario Athletic Director Josh Mink said that the changes had gone into effect beginning Friday, March 12, and that he expected further guidance from the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education might yet alter spectator guidelines once more.
News tip? Contact reporter Liliana Frankel at [email protected] or 267-981-5577.
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