New entrance. Temperature checks. Rupp prepares for first Kentucky games, live events
All mask-wearing University of Kentucky basketball fans attending this week’s games at Rupp Arena will need to enter the arena from a new High Street entrance.
That’s just one of the changes in place as the storied arena returns to hosting live events this week after being dark for eight months due to the coronavirus pandemic. UK fans will be among the first to experience the new routines and rules that will apply to all attendees.
All UK basketball fans will have their temperatures taken and a brief health screening before being allowed into the arena. If someone has a temperature, that person will be referred to the service desk.
All tickets must be on mobile devices this year. No paper tickets are allowed.
Patrons will be required to wear masks at all times except when they are eating in their seats, said Bill Owen, president and CEO of Central Bank Center and the Lexington Center Corporation, which oversees Rupp Arena and the attached convention center currently under construction.
UK announced Tuesday evening that it would not serve any concessions at Rupp Arena or Memorial Coliseum. The decision was made due to Gov. Andy Beshear’s mandate against indoor dining, the university’s athletic department said in a statement Tuesday. Fans can’t bring outside food or drinks into the venue either, UK athletics said. The rule doesn’t apply to players or coaches.
At a press conference Monday, Owen said that Central Bank Center awaits word from the state on serving food. Gov. Andy Beshear closed all indoor dining last week in light of the skyrocketing numbers of coronavirus cases across the state.
“We are neither a restaurant or a bar,” Owen said.
State health officials had previously approved Rupp Arena’s plans to re-open the arena at 15 percent capacity or around 3,000 people.
Owen said people will have to adhere to social distancing guidelines — staying 6 feet apart — while entering through the new High Street entrance on the West side, closer to the building’s Jefferson Street side.
Owen said stickers on the floor will remind people to maintain social distancing.
Ushers and security will monitor the wearing of masks. Some of those ushers and security officials have also worked at Kroger Stadium during UK’s football games this season.
Gatherings of more than eight people will be prohibited in the concourses or other areas.
In addition to the UK games, Central Bank Center also has two concerts: Brantley Gilbert on Dec. 18 and Three 6 Mafia with special guests Project Pat on Dec. 11. Those concerts were also capped at 15 percent capacity.
Patrons’ bags must be plastic or see-through, which is not a new rule.
This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 12:38 PM.
