Syracuse, N.Y. -- Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said that Syracuse University is “good to go” to allow students to attend the men’s basketball game against North Carolina men’s basketball on March 1 as far as local officials are concerned, although some hurdles likely remain.
New York State is allowing venues with a capacity of more than 10,000 people to open at 10 percent capacity as of Feb. 23 as long as a variety of conditions are met.
Local approval for the future date arrived on Thursday in one of McMahon’s regularly-scheduled press conferences, eliminating at one hurdle for the school. Arenas still are closed to the public by the state this weekend, meaning no fans will be allowed at the men’s basketball or men’s lacrosse game.
“I think they’re good to go on the North Carolina game,” McMahon said. “I know the conversations I’ve had is that North Carolina men’s basketball game was a date they’re trying to get students into the game, they can do the testing and meet that requirement. ... That will be the university’s call. They have the systems in place, the tools in place, that they’ll be able to pull off whatever they chose to.”
In order to reopen, New York’s guidelines say an inspection and plan approval from the New York State Department of Health is required. Neither the school nor the state has indicated an inspection and approval has occurred in the Carrier Dome.
The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets both have announced that they have formal approval by the state.
In addition to the inspection and approval, other requirements for opening include negative PCR tests within 72 hours for those in attendance, mandatory face coverings, distancing and temperature checks.
On Thursday, Syracuse issued a statement similar to what it has said frequently in recent months, reiterating its goal to begin opening the building with students.
“We continue to work closely with the county and state on a plan to safely reopen the stadium, public health permitting, starting with students,” Senior Associate Vice President for Communications Sarah Scalese said in a statement.
While state approval is required, the school must also choose whether to bring fans back in less than two weeks.
Less than a week ago, the school announced that a handful of parties near the campus resulted in 20 coronavirus cases among students and that spread risked keeping students out of basketball games. This past weekend, another party was hosted by student-athletes and reported in a letter from athletic director John Wildhack
“The likelihood of (Dome games), particularly before the conclusion of the women’s and men’s basketball season, is now in question,” Robert D. Hradsky, vice president for student experience, said in a statement last week.
The Syracuse men’s basketball team currently has one game scheduled after Feb. 23, while the women’s basketball team has two.
Syracuse is currently reporting 83 active cases in Central New York and is reporting 43 cases in the current two-week timeframe that ends on Feb. 26. If the school hits 100 cases during that timeframe, it will be required by the state to pause in-person instruction and, obviously, would not be allowing attendance at sporting events.
McMahon said on Thursday that he felt the state-wide standard of 100 cases was harsh for schools the size of Syracuse.
“I think one of the things that is unfair to Syracuse University and Cornell and some of the larger universities is 100 cases in two weeks is not a lot of cases,” McMahon said. “We do that in two days. I think it should be based off positivity rate, not cases for the larger schools. ... I think the existing rule is problematic for larger institutions. It always has been. The margin of error is so small. If your positivity rate on campus is lower than the community-at-large, I still think you should be able to do in-person learning.
“I don’t make that rule, but I’m expressing my opinion. That’s the challenge. These students at SU need to be better really than their peers across the state to keep in-person learning going. I’m sympathetic ... They’re under 1 percent. If they were their own state they would be the best state in the country.”
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