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Is it safe to open Tiger Stadium or the Superdome to fans at the end of this month? I talk to four experts about that question.... https://lailluminator.com/2020/09/11/is-it-safe-to-open-tiger-stadium-and-the-superdome/ #lalege #lagov
The answers varied though there was general agreement that opening Tiger Stadium and the Dome to fans would lead to the spread of #COVID19. #lalege #lagov
“There is no question there are going to be cases that rise from it. It’s impossible to imagine a situation where that would not happen.” - Ed Trapido, @LSU epidemiologist about the decision to open Tiger Stadium #lalege #lagov
“There will probably be a couple of hundred infected people [at the stadium]. There will probably be another 400 or 500 cases incubating by the end of the day.” - Susan Hassig with @Tulane's epidemiology department on the decision to open Tiger Stadium #lalege #lagov
Also, an interesting fact....Over half of @LSUfootball's season ticket holders had already opted out of their tickets this year before @LSU even announced it would have fans in the stands. (Season ticket holders occupy over 70k seats in the stadium.) #lalege #lagov
Health experts also told me it's probably safer to be in Tiger Stadium than in the Superdome (even if there are more people in Tiger Stadium) when it comes to #COVID19 because the Superdome is enclosed. Tiger Stadium is not. #lalege #lagov
John McCarthy, a mathematician at @WUSTL, is advising professional sports teams about how to deal with #COVID19 in stadiums. He recommended a staggered entrance and exit -- which is listed on fans tickets for the game. #lalege #lagov
. @LSUfootball does plan to stagger the time when people can enter the stadium (as experts suggested) .... They just haven't figured out the details yet. But the fans won't necessarily get to pick when they got into the stadiums. #lalege #lagov
Another thing that I found fascinating is health experts say that suites/boxes/premium seating is probably the riskiest place to be in a stadium. LSU is limited suites and premium seating to 25 percent and taking other measures to limit it, but..... #lalege #lagov
One epidemiologist told me that suites/premium seating should just be eliminated altogether this season.
“The privileged have to make some sacrifices, too, and they may have to sit in the general admission area if they want to go to the game.” - Jeffrey Klausner, UCLA #lalege
“The privileged have to make some sacrifices, too, and they may have to sit in the general admission area if they want to go to the game.” - Jeffrey Klausner, UCLA #lalege
Another open question is how safe it is to have @LSU's marching band (albeit a smaller one) playing in Tiger Stadium. Health experts said that was unclear because there hasn't really been good data about band performances and #COVID19.
An epidemiologist joked to me that an @LSUfootball game could become a test case about whether an “infected tuba player would become a super spreader” of #COVID19 #lalege #lagov
All the experts told me enforcement of mask wearing, physical distancing, etc. would be a factor in how successful opening stadiums will be. @LSU has hired an extra 50 people to enforce rules, but some of the health experts questioned how effective that would be. #lalege
And a couple of experts said they were worried about community spread after opening up the stadiums.
“I think it’s really dangerous for the Baton Rouge community frankly. I think they are going to have to push the hospitals back to critical levels.” - Susan Hassig at @Tulane
“I think it’s really dangerous for the Baton Rouge community frankly. I think they are going to have to push the hospitals back to critical levels.” - Susan Hassig at @Tulane
“If they cared about keeping their K-12 kids in school and keeping LSU in some semblance of in-person classes, they wouldn’t be doing this. This is a bad idea.” - Susan Hassig from @Tulane on opening up Tiger Stadium to fans #lalege #lagov
But an epidemiologist also said people would gather anyway to watch games so opening up the stadium might not have an outsized impact.
“People are going to congregate one way or another, whether they are at the stadium or in backyards or in bars or restaurants.” #lalege
“People are going to congregate one way or another, whether they are at the stadium or in backyards or in bars or restaurants.” #lalege
In any case, this tweet thread is long enough. Please read me story here: https://lailluminator.com/2020/09/11/is-it-safe-to-open-tiger-stadium-and-the-superdome/ #lalege #lagov
And if you are another media organization, please know that you can pick up this story for free and run it on your own platform. You just to give @IlluminatorLA credit for the content. #lalege #lagov
