B1G eases restrictions on attendance policies, will allow schools to follow local guidelines

The B1G is easing its attendance restrictions on athletic events for the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year. The conference released a statement regarding its new policy on Wednesday morning.

Schools within the conference will now be permitted to follow local health guidelines and restrictions for attendance policies. While this will only apply for the remaining spring sports for this year, it’s probably a good indication that attendance — in some form — will be permitted at football games and other athletic events during the fall.

From the B1G:

Attendance policies for all remaining 2020-21 Big Ten Conference regular season competitions will follow local health guidelines and restrictions, the conference announced on Wednesday. The decision to follow local health guidelines and restrictions was made jointly by the Big Ten Conference Directors of Athletics and the Council of Presidents and Chancellors in consultation with university medical experts and the conference office.

This policy update is effective immediately and includes spring football events. This decision follows the announcements by the conference on March 4, 2021, to allow a limited number of fans to attend the 2021 Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, and on March 9, 2021, to follow local health guidelines and restrictions for all remaining 2020-21 Big Ten Conference championships and tournaments. The goal is to transition from a conference-wide approach to local decision-making in consultation with public health departments and university medical experts.

Procedures for all remaining 2020-21 Big Ten championships, tournaments and regular season competitions will be designed to meet local and CDC guidelines to help limit the spread of COVID-19 as the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, officials, fans and campus communities remain our highest priority.

As a conference, the B1G implemented a policy that restricted the general public from attending sporting events in the fall and winter. A limited number of family and close friends of student-athletes and coaches were permitted to attend games.