VAX CARD KICKOFF

BC begins checking proof of vaccinations at games

Most Boston College Eagles fans at Saturday’s season opener seemed to consider having to present proof of vaccination a “small inconvenience” for the chance to watch a game live for the first time in two years and to see the Eagles steamroll the Colgate Raiders 51-0.

Screening lines moved swiftly as people presented their ID and vaccination card or a negative coronavirus test taken within the last 72 hours. Then they were given red wristbands and lined up to present their tickets to get into Alumni Stadium.

“I don’t mind if it makes people feel comfortable,” Nicole Ragains, 42, of Ridgewood, NJ., said as she waited in line. “It’s a small inconvenience.”

Greg, 40, of Raynham, who declined to give his last name, said the screening was a “necessary evil.”

“But I appreciate them taking the precaution,” he said.

Not everyone agreed.

“I’m not a big fan of vaccination,” Michael Smalls, 49, of Long Island, N.Y., said in line. “It doesn’t guarantee you won’t get it. I find (the screening) an inconvenience, but I will abide by the rules.”

Boston College had required all students, faculty and staff to upload their vaccination cards to the college last month, leading to a 99.3% vaccination rate, said college spokesman Jack Dunn. The only exemptions allowed were for medical or religious reasons.

“Fans had been alerted in advance,” Dunn said, and no one was turned away Saturday.

“We did a good job of alerting people of our requirements,” he said, “and attendees met those requirements prior to entering the stadium.”

Although there is a black market for counterfeit vaccination cards, “if a student submitted a false document, they would be subject to disciplinary sanctions,” Dunn said.

“It’s kind of scary,” Eileen Mulligan, 51, of Beverly, said of phony vax cards. “But there are dishonest people everywhere. I would just hope people wouldn’t do that.”

Inside Alumni Stadium, people were allowed to sit shoulder to shoulder without masks on, despite the more highly contagious delta variant — which has led to rising numbers of infections during the last several weeks in Massachusetts and across the country.

About 25,000 people attended Saturday’s game, and the stadium holds 44,500. So there was “plenty of room” for social distancing, Dunn said.

PAUL CONNORS PHOTOS / BOSTON HERALD BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE: Young Boston College fans, from left, William Hartshorn, 6, his brother Bennet, 3, both of Weston, and their cousin James Allen, 3, of Wilmington, Del., wear masks prior to attending Saturday’s game against Colgate. Below, season ticket holder Steve O’Brien, of Braintree, dons a face covering before the Eagles’ season debut.