At a special meeting on Wednesday evening, the Oil City School Board approved changes to the sports spectator guidelines to allow for more spectators than before.
The changes are in accordance with the state’s COVID-19 amended guidelines that were announced Tuesday.
Outdoor venues
This includes players, coaches, essential personnel, officials and spectators.
Tim LaVan, the district’s athletic director, said the figure includes the Oilers marching band.
For baseball, softball, cross country and tennis, masks are required upon entry until a person is seated and socially distanced, except for family members who don’t have to socially distance.
When a person is stationary and socially distanced, they may remove their mask in accordance with a July 15 directive from the state Department of Health, LaVan said.
Indoor venues
At the Oil City High School gym, up to 316 people will be allowed in during sporting events. This is 20% of the gym’s capacity of 1,580, and includes players, coaches, essential personnel, officials and spectators.
At the Oil City Middle School gym, up to 96 people, which is 20% of the gym’s capacity of 482, will be allowed in.
At the gyms
— Masks are required at all times.
— Social distancing (except for family members) will be required of all in attendance.
— Team members may spread out on benches to maintain social distancing.
— Locker rooms will be available for both teams’ use.
— At the middle school gym, visiting team spectators will not be permitted. Home team spectators and athletes will use different entrances.
— At the high school gym, visiting spectators will be permitted. Visiting spectators and home team spectators will be seated in different areas, enter and exit by different doors and use separate restrooms.
Other venues
— No spectators will be allowed at the school pool.
— 38 people, 20% capacity, are allowed into the pool area at a time, including swimmers, coaches, essential personnel and officials. According to the guidelines, the district will continue to work toward a policy to address participants. The school’s swim team numbers over 38 people.
— Locker rooms will be available for team use of the pool.
— A total of seven people will be allowed in the high school weight room.
— In the weight room, masks will be required by anyone not actively engaged in a workout and social distancing will be required to the extent that is possible.
Additional event guidelines
— Maintenance and custodial crews will be given the athletic events schedules and shall clean before, during and after each athletic event.
— Security will enforce these guidelines.
— Hand sanitizer will be placed at each entrance/exit to each facility.
— No concessions will be available at any event.
— Home spectators will be permitted into the facility 25 minutes before the event and visiting spectators will be permitted into the facility 15 minutes before the event.
— Up to 10 tickets will be issued to each Oil City school participant in an athletic contest (players, cheerleaders and/or band members), provided the total number of spectators does not exceed the venue gathering limit.
— A maximum of two tickets per student athlete will be issued to each visiting school student athlete, provided the total number of tickets issued to Oil City school participants does not exceed the venue gathering limit.
— All spectators must sign in at the event with their name and phone number for potential contact tracing, and attendees are asked to contact the school district if they test positive for the virus.
An updated version of the spectator attendance guidelines at home athletic events will be posted on the district’s website and social media pages.
