PARKERSBURG, W.Va (WTAP) –

As Ohio high school sports begin again, schools are adjusting to the 15% capacity they are allowed for sporting events.

However, some schools have been able to apply for a variance in that number, that would allow them to use extra grass space or bring in extra bleachers for additional fans.

“If you cannot accommodate that (15%) and you have green space you can use to accommodate, and still make sure that people are six feet apart, they still have to wear their masks, they still have to do all the things that are outlined in the order, then you can request a variance,” Marietta/Belpre Health Commissioner Anne Goon says.

Several schools in the area have applied and been approved for this, including Warren and Fort Frye for football games.

The application must first go to the local health department and then to the state level to be approved. Goon says that as far as she knows, nobody in the area that has applied has been denied.

Marietta High School is the latest to apply for extra fans at two of their venues, the Devola Soccer Complex, and the Glendale football field, used for Junior Varsity football games.

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