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Ten days until the first football game of the season, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin joined Sport Scene with Steve Russell. The obvious questions were addressed including game-day policies as well as vaccination rates amongst Gator athletics.
Stricklin Says No Rules
In the state of Florida, public schools can not mandate specific COVID policies. Thus, he began his air time discussing what the fan experience may look like in the Swamp. Most notably, vaccines will not be required to attend a Gator football game.
Stricklin highlights that the ability to make any sort of mandate is out of his hands.
The athletic director did receive pushback during the show. Some were questioning why Florida won’t take a harder stance on vaccinations. Recently, LSU mandated their own vaccine and mask policy. Fans in attendance at Tiger Stadium, age 12 and older, must provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test.
https://twitter.com/LSUfootball/status/1430183272697536517
Florida will do no such thing. Additionally, the same mask rules already set on campus will apply to sporting events.
Gator Athletics Vaccine Success
On top of that, Stricklin shed light on the vaccination percentage for Gator athletics. Previously, Florida football head coach Dan Mullen shared that his team has a high vaccination rate. As of today, there are some sporting teams 100% vaccinated. Football sits around 90%.
While the COVID climate is ever changing, the rules for now are clear: there aren’t any. The first game in the Swamp is on the horizon. Florida will host FAU on Sept. 4 at 7:30 pm.
