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The Longwood athletics department recently announced new guidelines for spectators at Lancer athletics events and will allow a limited number of Longwood student-athlete family members to attend home games this spring.

The new guidelines mark the first phase of Longwood’s reopening of its athletic facilities to the public and will go into effect beginning with the Thursday, March 18 women’s lacrosse game against Delaware State at Elizabeth Burger Jackson field at the Longwood Athletics Complex.

The new protocols are in accordance with federal, state, local and NCAA guidelines related to public gatherings, student-athlete safety and community safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They will apply to athletics venues for Longwood baseball, field hockey, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, softball and men’s and women’s tennis.

That first phase of Longwood’s athletics reopening plan will limit spectators to family members of Longwood student-athletes, who must be listed on a player pass list submitted to the athletics department. Coordination of those lists and submissions for each game will be handled by each team’s coaching staff and in coordination with their respective student-athletes.

Longwood athletics has also established several required social distancing measures for those in attendance, which include COVID-19 pre-screenings, seating in designated spaces and face coverings worn over the nose and mouth at all times. Congregating at athletics venues and surrounding facilities, including concourses and parking lots, will also be prohibited.

Longwood University and athletics department leadership will continue to assess the safety of the reopening plan throughout the semester based on guidance from health agencies, university health officials, and the NCAA.