The SEC released its revised 2020 college football schedule on Monday night, with Alabama opening at Missouri on Sept. 26 before hosting Texas A&M on Oct. 3. Now we know just how hostile that atmosphere will be when the Aggies roll into Tuscaloosa -- not very.
Alabama has limited capacity at Bryant-Denny Stadium to 20% in compliance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health guidelines, the school announced on Tuesday. The new policy will stay in place throughout the 2020 football season.
All fans and staff will have to undergo a health check in order to obtain a "passport" prior to entering the stadium. That "passport" will be obtained via a website after individuals complete a health check questionnaire that requests a temperature reading, possible symptoms and potential contact with infected individuals. The school has moved to mobile-only ticketing and fans will have to wear a mask upon entering the stadium. Working staff at the stadium must wear a mask at all times.
Concession stands will be open throughout Bryant-Denny Stadium, with every other register being operational with a plexiglass shield between staff and spectators. Field access will be limited according to guidelines set forth by the SEC and NCAA, and social distancing will be maintained as much as possible.
"If you follow the CDC guidelines from a contract-tracing standpoint, I think you have an opportunity to move forward and try to play -- whatever sport it is -- in the fall," said athletic director Greg Byrne said last week during a meeting with reporters (via: 247Sports). "That's what we've been doing as a department, and that's what we're going to continue to do. If the fall sports season is called off at some point then, obviously, we'll follow those guidelines. But I think we've heard clearly from our student-athletes that the great majority of them want an opportunity to try to play."
The school also announced that due to local social distancing guidelines pertaining to groups congregating in large numbers, tailgating will not be permitted on the Alabama campus in 2020.
