From The Tribune staff reports

MONTGOMERY – Fall schedules are set and high school sports appear to be go for takeoff, but questions still loom for fans across the state.

The Alabama Department of Public Health notes that a memo issued Thursday, Aug. 6 by the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) says spectators will be allowed to attend football games and other athletic events, but attendance likely will be significantly reduced.

Under the state’s current Safer at Home public health order:

• “Players, coaches, officials, and spectators may not congregate within six feet of a person from another household except to the extent necessary, and only to the extent necessary, for players, coaches, and officials to directly participate in the athletic activity.”
• Spectators must wear a mask or other facial covering that covers the nostrils and mouth at all times while within six feet of a person from another household. Limited exceptions are allowed, such as for children who have not yet entered second grade and for people with medical conditions that prevent them from wearing a facial covering.
• The memo issued Thursday says schools are “strongly encouraged to establish and follow policies for limiting event attendance in order to comply” with the current public health order, and to require fans to wear facial coverings while entering and exiting the gates, while in the stands, and elsewhere. State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris stressed that the current public health order applies to schools and school-related events.

For more information, visit alabamapublichealth.gov. The current Safer at Home order can be viewed here: www.alabamapublichealth.gov/legal/assets/order-adph-cov-gatherings-072920.pdf