Mask up, football fans. Face coverings now required at Williams-Brice

Masks will be required at South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium due to Columbia’s citywide mask mandate.

In an email sent to students Wednesday, the university alerted USC students that Williams-Brice Stadium falls under the “crowded outdoor spaces” guideline in the mask mandate enacted on Sept. 8.

USC’s email to students notes that the “City of Columbia is solely responsible” for enforcing the mandate. Those not wearing masks can be fined up to $100.

Last week, more people were hospitalized in South Carolina from COVID-19 than at any point since the virus hit last March, according to data from the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control. From Sept. 4-10, DHEC reported 30,757 new cases of COVID-19, an average of about 4,394 cases a day.

Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks have played just one game at home this season, on Sept. 4, and will travel to face Georgia this Saturday. USC’s next home game — and first under Columbia’s mask ordinance — will be Sept. 25 against Kentucky.