Arch Madness COVID requirements

[Tommy]

So looking at the Enterprise Center site, it looks like Arch Madness will have some COVID rules that require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 3 days of going. Since this is a 4 day event, that leaves a bit of an issue as it would require two negative tests to attend the entire event.

Coach, I know you've got a medical background, any idea how they can require this and not be breaking HIPAA law?

Also, I've tried contacting the Enterprise Center and have left voicemails, texts, and e-mails with no response. Last call I made went straight to voicemail and said it was full and couldn't receive any messages.

Here are the rules I found online: http://www.enterprisecenter.com/plan.../health-safety

[Dub]

Tommy: I have all the same frustrations. Unofficially, I am hearing (and I predict) that enforcement is not as strict as it sounds or possibly non existent. However I would not want to see any Bradley fans get turned away at the door before gametime. I am however fine with our opponents fans being turned away. jk. I plan to be prepared as I can for the first game, with the hope it may be lifted prior. Maybe take an appointment for a test as a placeholder and see what happens. I don’t want to risk missing our game after traveling down.

[Da Coach]

So looking at the Enterprise Center site, it looks like Arch Madness will have some COVID rules that require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test 3 within 3 days of going. Since this is a 4 day event, that leaves a bit of an issue as it would require two negative tests to attend the entire event.

Coach, I know you've got a medical background, any idea how they can require this and not be breaking HIPAA law?

Also, I've tried contacting the Enterprise Center and have left voicemails, texts, and e-mails with no response. Last call I made went straight to voicemail and said it was full and couldn't receive any messages.

Here are the rules I found online: http://www.enterprisecenter.com/plan.../health-safety

Regarding the requirement of a negative Covid test within 72 hours for unvaccinated fans- I have no idea how it's handled in the case of an unvaccinated spectator who had the required Covid test, but then returns for the 3rd or 4th day of the tournament. My guess is that they won't require another test after they showed documentation the first day.

And there have been numerous court challenges to vaccine mandates around the country, and the HIPPA argument has never been accepted by the various state and federal courts. It seems courts believe public health concerns trump the federal privacy laws.

The Enterprise Center's entrance requirements are not at all unique. Many theaters, arenas, and other venues are requiring proof of vaccination or negative Covid tests.
Thankfully, as the pandemic is now subsiding, more and more venues and locations are starting to drop restrictions. It would be nice if they dropped this at the Enterprise Center before next week's tournament, but that is probably expecting too much.
This past Wednesday, the St. Louis County Executive Sam Page announced that he will be end the county’s mask mandate at 8 a.m. Monday.
Page to end St. Louis County’s mask mandate on Monday-

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/page-to-end-st-louis-county-s-mask-mandate-on-monday/article_9071bb97-5207-5b67-b866-d3bd53afd331.html

However, that applies in St. Louis County, but not where cities within the county have their own mandate. Unfortunately, the city of St. Louis does have such a mask mandate that will still be in effect until March 6. It would require a vote of the city's aldermen to end it early, and that does not seem likely to happen before the tournament.
According to some of the articles about the mask mandates in St. Louis County and the city of St. Louis, most people are ignoring them anyway, and nobody seems to be enforcing them. So, let's hope there won't be any problems if fans choose not to wear their masks in the arena. I'd recommend taking a mask just in case.

[BUfan17]

HIPAA is actually a lot smaller in scope than most people realize. In general it only prevents covered entities (general healthcare providers and insurance) from sharing your identifiable medical information without your consent.

As far as I know it doesn't cover any medical information you disclose yourself or prevent anyone from asking for your medical information.



The CDC is expected to announce today that they are rolling back the indoor mask recommendations, we'll have to see what they say.

I kind of expect these covid precautions to be dropped fairly soon, hopefully before the start of the tournament.

[Tommy]

Thanks for the response.

[KillerB]

St. Louis City is actually not part of St. Louis County. It sets its own rules.
And yes the city mask mandate is still in place.
The Enterprise Center has required proof of vaccine or negative test. It has been enforce for all the Blues games so I assume it will be enforced for the tourney.

[Da Coach]

...
The CDC is expected to announce today that they are rolling back the indoor mask recommendations, we'll have to see what they say.

For the record, the CDC did announce amended guidelines today. They outlined a new set of measures based on how each local community is doing and categorized on a county by county basis.
Here is their website with the newest guidelines.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html

They defined 3 tiers of community Covid involvement- Low, Medium, and High.
For St. Louis City County (where the Enterprise Center is located), they define the severity as "Medium".
That means no indoor mask wearing is recommended by the CDC, unless an individual is a high-risk person.
With all levels of community involvement, people can always wear a mask if they choose to, and should if they are sick or have a positive Covid test.

Of course, even with these lowered CDC guidelines, it will still depend whether the powers in charge in St. Louis act to lift their mask mandate.
But I think the chances of that happening are not very good.

[KillerB]

The St. Louis Board has already said it will not rollback its mandate until mid-March. If memory serves, the 18th I think.