Belmont athletics announced Tuesday that fans will be allowed to attend basketball games in-person at the Curb Event Center.
Belmont athletics spoke with local health officials and university leadership to decide on a plan of action in regards to in-person attendance for the 2020-21 basketball season.
The updated guidelines will enforce a 750 spectator limit in the arena. All available seats will be sold as a single-game ticket, and each ticket will be sold in blocks of two and four.
The decision to block seating is in accordance with Nashville’s health recommendations, the announcement said.
Tickets will be sold in incremental priority purchase windows, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 25. The priority windows will open in the following order: Bruin Club members, traditional season ticket holders and then the general public.
All tickets will be processed through mobile means, meaning no paper tickets will be available for the upcoming basketball season.
These policies will apply to all Belmont home games through the month of Dec. — but if changes are found to be necessary with the state of the pandemic and health officials’ changing guidelines, they will be changed, the announcement said.
For women’s basketball manager Anderson Keathley, the announcement represents a boost in enthusiasm, despite Tennessee’s recent spikes in COVID-19 cases.
“I think it’s really great to be able to have fans and some sense of normalcy in these times and an outlet people can go to feel normal again,” said Keathley. “But it also offers the athletes a sense of energy they haven’t felt in a while.”
But for students like junior Wade Evans, the announcement brings with it a few concerns about safety, he said.
“I’m hopeful it goes well, but honestly, I don’t see it lasting long,” said Evans. “Even at limited capacity and people wearing masks, you’re still putting people in a gym to go yell and cheer and scream, which isn’t exactly ideal for keeping COVID away.”
Evans works in broadcast operations for the athletics department, where there are “rigorous” protocols in place to ensure workers are as safe as possible in regard to the virus.
“I’d like to see that kind of protocol applied to fans, but I’m not sure we will, which makes me concerned.”
Further announcements and changes to the policy will be announced by Belmont athletics.
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This article written by Ian Kayanja and Julieann Challacombe.