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Penn athletics to allow spectators again starting on Tuesday

Penn’s teams have competed with limited to no fans for almost a month due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Philadelphia

Fans will be welcomed back to The Palestra and other indoor Penn sporting events beginning on Tuesday.
Fans will be welcomed back to The Palestra and other indoor Penn sporting events beginning on Tuesday.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
    by Sage Hurley, For The Inquirer
    Published 

Penn’s athletic department announced on Friday that spectators will be allowed back at home indoor winter sporting events starting on Tuesday.

The announcement comes after Penn’s teams competed with limited to no fans for almost a month due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Philadelphia. Penn follows the lead of Harvard, which began allowing fan admission on Tuesday.

Although Penn’s guidelines have changed, there are still qualifications that must be met to attend events. All spectators must wear an N95, KN95, or a cloth mask over a surgical mask, according to the university’s COVID-19 policy.

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Fans aged 12 and above are required to show proof of vaccination and a government or school-issued form of identification. Fans five years and three months through 11 must show proof of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and must be fully vaccinated by Thursday for entry into indoor events.

Penn women’s basketball game against Columbia on Feb. 4 will be the first Ivy League contest hosted at The Palestra this season without fan restrictions. The highest attendance recorded for a basketball game at Penn this season was 6,255, during the men’s loss against Big 5 rival Villanova on Dec. 1.