Two Days After Covid Spike Warning, Students Rush The Field To Celebrate Notre Dame Win

On Thursday, Notre Dame's president released a video in which he warned about rising COVID-19 cases and implored students to redouble their efforts to follow safety measures and end the semester without "a major stumble."

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On Saturday night, after the football team's 47-40 double overtime upset of No. 1 Clemson, thousands of students rushed the field to celebrate, cramming close together and surrounding players and coaches. Several students could be seen on the national NBC telecast and in photos not wearing masks or with masks pulled down.

"Approve of the win, but this is concerning," St. Joseph County's deputy health officer, Dr. Mark Fox, tweeted in reaction to a photo of the students on the field. "At least there are masks and all undergrads were tested this week!"

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Notre Dame this season has restricted seating at games to 20 percent capacity, with tickets sold only to students, faculty, staff and families of players. They are supposed to follow several protocols, including wearing masks and social distancing. Students who test positive for the virus before the game are not allowed to attend.

The team also has strict testing protocols for players and coaches.

A little more than 11,000 fans, most of them students, attended Saturday's game.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen any college storm the field. That was a cool experience,” Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams said after the game. “(Coach Brian Kelly) told us to get inside after the game as fast as we could."

Kelly confirmed during his post-game press conference that he warned his players that fans would rush the field, "and with COVID being as it is, we gotta get off the field and get to the tunnel."

The Fighting Irish needed a two-week break earlier this season because of a COVID-19 outbreak, but it didn't keep them from entering this showdown with Clemson unbeaten

The university, like the South Bend region and much of the country, has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Notre Dame reported 17 cases on Friday, with 220 active cases overall. The university has reported 1,345 total positive cases since the start of the fall semester.

After starting the semester with in-person classes, the university in August went virtual for two weeks and pleaded with students to follow safety protocols.

The university has previously attributed spikes in COVID cases to off-campus parties.

Notre Dame has been conducting surveillance testing on campus, has closed most of the campus to the public and mandates that all student conduct a daily health check, among other safety measures.

The university president, the Rev. John Jenkins, drew heavy criticism after he attended a White House ceremony in September where President Trump introduced ND law professor Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee.

Jenkins, like most people at the event, did not wear a mask or social distance, and he later apologized. He also tested positive for COVID-19 a week later.

On Thursday night, the Notre Dame Faculty Senate passed a resolution expressing "disappointment" in Jenkins' actions at the White House event.

In his video earlier this week, Jenkins said the university would soon announce "further steps" to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

"We must recognize that not wearing a mask or maintaining distances now is considerably more risky with the rapid rise of the virus than it was even a few weeks ago," he said in the video.

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