LA GRANDE — Eastern Oregon University athletics is facing another hurdle related to COVID-19.

The athletics department announced its spectator policy Thursday, Aug. 26, requiring masks for fans in attendance at all indoor and outdoor competitions. The decision is effective immediately and comes right at the start of the 2021 athletics season.

The Cascade Collegiate Conference Council of Presidents met Aug. 26 to discuss mask policies for outdoor sporting events, which Eastern put into effect on its campus. The decision comes in the wake of Gov. Kate Brown’s outdoor mask mandate announced Aug. 25. Union County’s COVID-19 total during the month of August has eclipsed 500, making it the highest of any month since the start of the pandemic.

Eastern’s fall sports are just starting up, with soccer, football and volleyball beginning regular season competition this month. With home football games around the corner, the Mountaineers are slated to host five games at Community Stadium. The stadium also hosts men’s and women’s soccer and can hold up to 3,000 fans.

According to Sports Information Director William McLaughlin, Eastern currently has no plans for enforcing capacity limits at sporting events. The university’s spectator policy encourages fans to maintain social distancing standards when attending a sporting event.

The Cascade Collegiate Conference states failure to comply with attendance policy will result in removal from the venue and any further contests.