LSU to require vaccine proof or negative test for game entry

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Getting into a Louisiana State University football game this fall will require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative coronavirus test, the university said Tuesday.

LSU's announcement in Baton Rouge comes a day after full Food and Drug Administration approval of the Pfizer vaccine, and as the state's largest hospital system, Ochsner Health, planned an afternoon announcement on whether its employees will have to be vaccinated now that full FDA approval of a vaccine is in place.

LSU's announcement said the university will require all Tiger Stadium guests 12 years and older to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to entry. The policy will be in effect for LSU's home opener against McNeese St on Sept. 11.

Governor John Bel Edwards, LSU President William F. Tate IV, LSU's Board of Supervisors, the Tiger Athletic Foundation and Athletic Director Scott Woodward all support the decision, the announcement said.

The FDA previously had cleared the Pfizer shots for use on an emergency basis. Pfizer is the first vaccine to get full FDA approval.

In answer to queries about its plans following the FDA announcement, Ochsner Health, based in suburban New Orleans, scheduled an afternoon briefing. System officials say 69% of its employees are already vaccinated. Ochsner owns, manages or is affiliated with 40 hospitals and more than 100 health centers and urgent care centers throughout Louisiana and on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, according to its website.