BATON ROUGE, La. — The Louisiana High School Athletic Association has issued a new policy on Wednesday for its member schools that now requires those attending sporting events to wear masks and social distance while watching games in the stands.
According to a memo from LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine to member schools, the new policy comes after Gov. John Bel Edwards issued an emergency proclamation on Wednesday that reduces the capacity of those attending athletic events to 25% for spectators and fans.
Bonine says that no one is to be seated next to each other and there must be 6 feet of separation between all attendees.
The letter states that evidence for failure to comply with these required measures will result in a $500 fine and the loss of hosting and potentially participating in any further football games and/or winter sports like basketball, wrestling, soccer, and powerlifting.
This current policy is similar to what the LHSAA did at the beginning of the year. However, the LHSAA made it very clear that policies governing the grandstands and fans was up to schools and the local municipalities. KATC asked Bonine why the league changed its stance, he said the the league to doing what it can to help ensure that high school sports can continue in Louisiana.
The LHSAA football playoffs begin Friday. See the complete schedule here.
You can read the full memo from the LHSAA below:
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