Vaccine and mask mandates still in place for local spirit games at Spokane Arena

The high school spirit games are on next week at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena and the crowds are expected to be large, boisterous and fun.

But to get into the boys and girls basketball games, fans will need to be ready to show proof of being fully vaccinated or produce an acceptable 72-hour negative test for COVID-19. Fans will also be asked to wear masks as they cram into the seats for the biggest games of the year.

Those precautionary requisites follow the state’s mandates and come amid the ongoing wave of illness and hospitalizations associated with the omicron variant.

The Spokane Arena posted its requirements on its website that say anyone 12 and older will need to show either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result.

Guests need to use FDA-approved PCR tests, the arena said on its website, and results have to be within 72 hours of the event. Home antigen tests are not allowed.

The state’s department of health reported on its COVID-19 data dashboard that 40.5% of kids between 12 and 17 are fully vaccinated against the disease.

Because the arena said it could not take at-home tests, testing locations in Spokane could see an upswing in people rushing to get their test before the first spirit game between Lewis & Clark High School and Ferris High School at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7.

“Friday and Saturday they might start seeing an uptick in testing,” said Kelli Hawkins, public information officer with Spokane Regional Health District.

“This won’t prevent me from going because I am vaccinated, but at the same time, I don’t think they should have put the requirements in place because if you’re not vaccinated there’s not a lot of test going around and there’s probably not a lot they can just give out, so I think it will stop a lot of people,” Shadle Park High School junior Sadie Haney said.

Shadle Park junior Jayce Rodriguez said the requirements were “completely fine.”

“You should have to have a negative test or vaccination because that is a large group of people that could easily spread COVID even more,” Rodriguez said.

Shadle Park junior Kenny Hutchinson understood why the mandates were in place, but said that it could derail someone’s plans to attend because of lack of test accessibility.

“I mean it’s kind of annoying because people who haven’t been able to get vaccinated or can’t get a test can’t go and could get kind of screwed over,” Hutchinson said.

Spokane Public Schools and the Central Valley School District did not respond to requests for comment. Nor did the Spokane Public Facilities District and Greater Spokane League.

On the Spokane Arena website, the facility wrote that Spokane Public Schools had done a good job following these mandates and was expected to follow the requirements and put safe measures in place.

The spirit games were postponed in January after the health district advised the schools to wait until the recent surge in COVID-19 flattened. Hawkins said as of Wednesday, the district’s perspective has changed and they do not think there’s the same risk of transmission.

“We are seeing some lower numbers now, so it’s giving us some hope,” Hawkins said.

Simple steps like getting tested and vaccinated can lower transmission while allowing bigger community events to move forward, Hawkins said.

The health district has four free community testing sites open in Spokane and, as of Wednesday, they do not require an appointment, though it is recommended. But those testing sites are designed to help people who have COVID-19 symptoms or those who have been in close contact with someone who is sick.

Tests can be done from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at Spokane Falls Community College. Other sites include Spokane County Fair and Expo Center on those same days from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

There are other places to get a PCR test , according to information on the health district’s website. Many of those are businesses and clinics that charge for the test.

The Spokane Arena also requires people 5 and older to wear masks inside, regardless of vaccine status or a negative test result.

Correspondent Jordan Tolley-Turner contributed to this report.