Honolulu will allow a limited number of fans at sporting and other outdoor entertainment events starting Wednesday as it begins to ease COVID-19 restrictions.
But there will be no general admission tickets sold for the upcoming University of Hawaiʻi football game against New Mexico State on Oct. 23, Athletic Director David Matlin confirmed.
The 1,000-person limit on attendees at the football game includes the families of Hawaiʻi players. It will also include the traveling party for New Mexico State, which could add up to 100 to 150 people.
In addition, about 100 tickets will be made available to university students, leaving only a few hundred left.
Matlin said UH season ticket holders will get the rest, with seating determined by the university’s priority system based on membership level, how long someone has been a season ticket holder, and how many tickets they’ve purchased.
Matlin said they hope to increase attendance levels for the football team’s final two home games — San Diego State on Nov. 6 and Colorado State on Nov. 20.
Attendees will need to be vaccinated, wear masks and maintain physical distance. No food or beverages will be allowed, except water, Honolulu's COVID-19 guidelines state.
Gov. David Ige and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said last week they were easing COVID-19 restrictions in response to rising vaccination rates and declining COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Restrictions on indoor entertainment, outdoor weddings and funerals, golf tournaments, road races, and triathlons will also be eased.
Ige said the goal was to manage Hawaiʻi's health care infrastructure while taking prudent risks and building back the state's economy.
On Oʻahu, about 72% of the total population is fully vaccinated and 84% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated.
The governor said he's working with the mayors of Kauaʻi, Maui and Hawaiʻi counties about easing rules on their respective islands.
