Iowa State University hasn’t changed its plan of limiting sports games in the fall to be limited to 50 percent capacity, including football games. 

This comes after the Story County Board of Health met Monday and talked about recommending Iowa State play football games with no fans in attendance to eliminate the potential of spreading COVID-19.

The Board is set to put forth its revised draft of recommendations for Iowa State football, the university itself and the entire county in a meeting 6 p.m. Thursday.

If the Board votes to approve the draft of recommendations Thursday, it will send the draft to the Story County Board of Supervisors for approval. 

Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard tweeted an update on the northeast hill at Jack Trice Stadium saying “fans are going to really notice the changes in the north end of the stadium when they attend the opening game on September 5th.”

Chair of the Story County Board of Health Dr. John Paschen said Monday, “There is just no way I can think that Iowa State can control the masses of people coming to games right now. I feel like we’re at a point where the Iowa State Fair Board was before they canceled the event…I feel really strongly about this and I think we need to make a stand on this. We can always change this plan if COVID-19 goes away, but we have to remember there will be an influx of students come August 15.” 

However, the university hasn’t changed its plan for fan attendance in the fall. Iowa State provided a update on Wednesday stating that.

The university said, “As guided by the Governor, the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], Iowa Department of Public Health and other state and federal health experts, the current plan is for a 50% capacity limit for events at Jack Trice Stadium, including football. Additional mitigation strategies will be used to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread such as physical distancing, face coverings, electronic ticketing, and crowd management designed to reduce fan congestion and contact.”

The only team allowed to return to campus before July 6 are football players and the university says they are getting tested for COVID-19 when they arrive.

Face coverings are required to be worn by athletes and staff when possible. If an athlete or a coach tests positive for COVID-19 they have to self-isolate from team activities and community members.

There have been over 500 cases of COVID-19 reported within Story County with three deaths and 149 recoveries.