Texas officials release home game COVID-19 safety guidelines

The Texas Longhorns officially have rules in place for home games.

“Our priority is to create the safest gameday environment for our student-athletes, coaches, game officials, fans, staff, and visiting teams,” vice president and director of athletics Chris Del Conte said. “Our facilities, events, ticketing, marketing, communications and Longhorn Foundation staffs have been working on various scenarios and possibilities throughout the past four months to accomplish our priorities within State of Texas guidelines and in conjunction with medical officials. It is more important now than ever that we remain united as one with our horns held high. Whether you are attending with us in-person on gameday, or engaging with us from afar, your support is the lifeblood of our program. Gamedays at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium are one of the most revered traditions in college sports, and we can’t wait to see the Burnt Orange and White faithful cheering on our teams this fall.”

Even so, a lot of parts of the situation are still moving. Texas officials are still in talks with Austin health officials and the Big 12 about decreasing Royal-Memorial Stadium’s already capped 50 percent capacity level to 25 percent, and even that’s not a sure thing this year.

But even if fans are allowed to attend games after all this season, it’ll look different.

Here’s a quick rundown, per Texas Sports.

Arrival and gate entry:

• Fans will be required to enter at the assigned gate listed on their mobile ticket.
• ADA guests and their accompanying seating group may enter at Gates 7, 14, 16, and 27.
• Social distancing markers will be placed at gate entry and strictly enforced to allow for social distancing.
• Clear Bag Policy: A clear bag policy is in effect to enhance existing security measures and expedite venue entry at Texas Athletics events on the Forty Acres.

Approved bags and other items:

• Bags that are clear plastic and do not exceed 12” x 6” x 12”
• One-gallon clear resealable plastic storage bags
• Small clutch bags or purses do not have to be clear but cannot exceed 4.5” x 6.5”.

What you shouldn’t bring:

• Purses
• Diaper bags*
• Cases (camera, binocular, etc.)
• Backpacks
• Printed pattern plastic bags
• Reusable grocery totes
• Mesh or straw bags
• Duffle bags
• Large totes

That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Tailgates will look a little different with masks on, per Texas Sports: “All guests partaking in tailgating activities must adhere to local and state COVID-19 safety requirements in place at the time of the tailgate, including but not limited to face coverings, social distancing and number of attendees. Tents may not exceed 10’x10’ and must be a minimum of 40 feet from the next tailgate setup. No tents or tailgate set ups are allowed prior to 7 a.m. on gameday.”

For more on how home games will go down this year, including at tailgates, click here.