South Bend, Indian. – On Thursday, the president of Notre Dame released a video in which he warned of rising Govt-19 cases and asked students to follow safety measures and redouble their efforts to complete the semester without “a major setback”.
Saturday night, then No. 1 Clemson football team’s 47-40 double overtime offset, Thousands Students rushed to the field to celebrate, Close and close to players and coaches. Many students can be seen on NBC broadcasts, in non-masked photos or even dragging masks down.
Criticism of the incident spread in the light of the epidemics through social media and has risen sharply over the past several weeks. The number of cases of Notre Dame active on campus has risen to over 200 since he turned 26 four weeks ago. Postcom celebrates the optical label / request response in the stadium.
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Notre Dame Athletics Director Jack Swarbrick, in an interview with the Tribune on Sunday afternoon, gave a behind-the-scenes look at Notre Dame’s precam program for a scene like this, where the school goes from here to back and lessons learned from five home football games involving a small number of fans.
“We had all kinds of activities for this game and the things we wanted to do, and I was very happy with those projects,” Swarbrick said. “You ‘ve got three possible outcomes. One is loss. You hope it’s not going to happen, but you’re not dealing with a storm. I think one is a decisive victory, you can manage what happens.
“The other is a game, whether it’s a knockdown, a two-point shift against Miami or the incompleteness of the last play of the second overtime that you know you’re facing the challenge of a field urgency.
“You never know what effect you’re going to face. You plan for all of them. … We had extra extra security.”
Apparently, the game came to a dramatic final, in which Irish Upset won, the first match of a team that has been at the top since 1993. At the time, Swarbrick explained, different security issues came into effect when students began to wake up from the field.
“If this happens, you get this mass, you have to let people come in or you are going to break bones and other issues,” Swarbrick said.
The plan for that situation is to try to protect the players on the field with extra security and users for the game.
“In that context, Swarbrick explained,‘ We said, ‘Here’s what we need to do. We must protect Clemson, make sure they do not interact with our student body, and allow them to enter the field. ‘I thought well. We used security all the way from the subway entrance to their bench. They are the best to go in that order and get there. “
The other aspect is that Notre Dame players will be expelled from the field as soon as possible. Players were warned to do so before the game if they won. Some did, and others could be seen celebrating more regularly with students than others.
“We encouraged them.” Swarbrick said, “But in the spirit of the moment, we have only partially succeeded in that. Some immediately went up the tunnel. Others are overwhelmed by the crowd and celebrate with them. “
Dr. Mark Fox, deputy health officer for St. Joseph County, expressed concern to Twitter after the game.
“Admit success, but it’s relevant,” Dr. Mark Fox, St. Joseph’s Deputy Health Officer, responded to a photo of students on the field. “At least there are masks and all undergraduate students were tested this week!”
Opinion polls from the USA Today Sports Atlantic Coast Conference were not immediately withdrawn.
In the midst of the corona virus epidemic, Notre Dame has banned up to 20 percent of participation in sports this season, with tickets sold only to students, faculty, staff and veterans’ families. They have to follow a number of ethics including wearing masks and social exclusion. Students who test positive for the virus before the game are not allowed to attend.
The team also has strict testing protocols for players and coaches.
More than 11,000 fans, most of them students, attended the game on Saturday.
“This is the first time I’ve seen any college storm. It’s a fantastic experience,” Kieran Williams, who runs behind Notre Dame, said after the game. “(Coach Brian Kelly) told us to go inside after the game as fast as we could.”
Kelly, as Swarbrick reiterated, confirmed during a post-game press conference that he had warned his players that fans would be on the field, “and because there is Govt, we have to get off the field and into the subway.”
The outbreak of COVID-19 required a two-week break for the fighting Irish at the start of this season, but that did not stop them from getting into the clash without a draw with Clemson.
The university, like the South Bent area and much of the country, has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions. Notre Dame recorded 17 cases on Friday, bringing the total to 220 cases. The university reported a total of 1,345 positive cases since the start of the fall semester.
After starting the semester with private classes, in August the university went virtual for two weeks and begged students to follow safety protocols.
The university has previously attributed the increase in COVID cases to off-campus parties.
Notre Dame conducts surveillance inspections on campus, closes most campuses to the public and orders all students to undergo daily health check-ups with all safety measures in place.
After attending the White House ceremony in September, the university president, Rev. Fr. John Jenkins raised harsh criticism where President Trump introduced ND law professor Amy Connie Barrett as his Supreme Court candidate.
Jenkins, like most at the event, did not wear a mask or social distance, after which he apologized. A week later he also tested positive for COVID-19.
Last Thursday, the Senate of Notre Dame passes Senate resolution expressing “disappointment” over Jenkins’ actions at White House event. Jenkins said in his video that the university would soon announce “further measures” to control the spread of the corona virus.
“We need to recognize that not wearing a mask or maintaining distance is now more dangerous with the rapid rise of the virus than it was a few weeks ago,” he said in the video.
Swarbrick acknowledged that on Saturday after the historic victory, On-Field Refreshment would be the opposite of preaching and training at the University of Optics campus.
“We all agree that Postcom was the exception to that last night,” he said. “We encouraged them to get on the field quickly. Not all of them did. Let’s see if this week marks an increase and a difference in our testing experience.”
Contributed by: Eric Hansen
