University of Hawaii at Hilo Vulcans fans may soon be allowed to return to in-person soccer and volleyball games, as long as they adhere to certain guidelines.
Starting on Oct. 18, the University of Hawaii (UH) Hilo has been approved by the County of Hawaii for a maximum of 50% fan capacity for volleyball and soccer games. For women's and men's soccer games that are played in the UH Hilo baseball stadium, in addition to the women's volleyball playing in the Vulcan Gym, up to 500 fans will be allowed to attend, according to The Official Athletics Site of Hawaii at Hilo.
"Fans are now allowed to attend volleyball and soccer home matches, as long as they adhere to our new spectator policy," the Hilo Vulcans tweeted on Oct. 19.
The first rule for attending fans is proof of COVID-19 vaccination upon entry, as full vaccination is mandatory for all spectators, with the exception of minors under the age of 12, who are allowed to attend with a parent or legal guardian, according to Hilo Athletics.
For UH Hilo students who plan to attend any event, the university is promoting the LumiSight UH app, which is a cell phone app developed for UH institutions by DataHouse that asks guests to upload their vaccination card, with a quick assessment of their current state of health, to be filled out for ease of access when entering the venues.
Masks are also required at all sporting events and must be worn at all times, with the exception of eating and drinking. There is also mandatory socially distanced seating that varies depending on the sport.
For soccer, fans are only allowed to sit in the baseball stadium bleachers and may not go down toward the field or anywhere else, while continuing to wear masks and distance themselves from other groups. For volleyball, fans must also be physically distanced with masks the entire time they are present, with the Vulcan Gym bleachers marked off accordingly for physical distancing.