Alabama fans party in streets, defy guidance
Thousands TUSCALOOSA,ALA.— of University of Alabama football fans partied in the street near campus after the Crimson Tide defeated Ohio State 52-24 for the national championship, ignoring pleas for safety at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in a celebration that a top health official said Tuesday could worsen disease.
Students and others poured out of jam-packed bars near campus as time expired in Miami late Monday, traffic cameras and images posted on social media show, gathering on University Boulevard in an area called “The Strip.”
Many of the fans screaming and cheering as they pressed against each other in the street didn’twear face masks. Dr. Scott Harris, the head of the AlabamaDepartment
of Public Health, said he expected more cases of COVID-19 to result from the street party.
“It’s disappointing to see people not paying attention to the guidance that we try to give to keep them safe. I was excited as anybody and wanted to celebrate also, but right nowis not a time to be out in large groups of people close togetherwhen you are not masked,“he said.
Fourteen people were arrested on charges including public intoxication, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, officials said at a news conference where MayorWaltMaddox said the crowdwas “larger than any celebration thatwe’ve seen in recent memory.”
In an open letter released through social media, the United Campus Workers of Alabama, a labor group for university employees, said the gathering could become a “super-spreader event” and asked for hazardous-duty pay forworkers in close contactwith students; evidence of virus testing; and a twoweek suspension of in-person classes.
The university is requiring virus screening for all students returning for the semesterwho plan to live on campus, withtestingplanned throughnextweek at the basketball arena. Students and workers also are required to complete online training about reducing the risk of spreading the illness.
More than 5,500 people have died in Alabama from the illness caused by the coronavirus, and about 408,000 have tested positive. The postgame scene was exactly what officials feared as they urged people to celebrate privately.
People lined up to get into the bars an hour before kickoff despite warnings.