Boise State University will require all attendees to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test for home football games starting next month. The policy was met with relief by some fans at Saturday’s home loss to Oklahoma State, but derided by others.
Eighteen-year-old freshman Ysa Caske stood in line to get into Albertsons Stadium with her friends – all of them wearing masks. Caske said she’s glad the school ramped up its COVID-19 policy.
“I think that we should take COVID more seriously and it seems like a lot of students aren’t doing that,” she said.
Caske said she hears stories about the surge in COVID-19 patients from her cousin who works at St. Luke’s – the first hospital in the Treasure Valley to request to operate under crisis standards of care last week.
“It’s really not cool to have super big events when these people are suffering,” she said, unless people are required to be vaccinated and wearing masks.
Caden Laub, a 21-year-old sophomore, disagrees. He said he’s already had COVID-19 and he wouldn’t have gotten vaccinated if he weren’t in the Air Force.
“I personally do not believe that it’s going to impact me and if you think that me being here is going to impact you, then you shouldn’t be here,” Laub said.
He called Boise State’s mask policy “dehumanizing” and thinks the response is overblown.
The school announced its new policy late Friday afternoon. Students were required to show proof of their first vaccination or a negative COVID test to get in this weekend and all fans will need to do the same starting Oct. 2.
Jerry Vorlicky is a season ticket holder who’s been coming to Broncos games for 42 years.
“It’s a little late,” he said of Friday’s announcement. “It would’ve been nice if they would’ve come out with this a week ago or so.”
But, Vorlicky said, he supports the policy with strained hospitals taking on a flood of COVID patients.
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