Mizzou staffing back on track for game day; health officials hope to see same compliance

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

After a potential staff shortage due to a sudden change in location of the University of Missouri’s football game, officials said Mizzou is back on track, while local health department officials hope to see the same compliance taken on Saturday’s game as they did previously.

Mizzou was originally scheduled to play at LSU on Saturday at 8 p.m. LSU released a statement on Wednesday in regards to moving the game due to Hurricane Delta.

Nicholas Joos, The Deputy Athletics Director for Communications at Mizzou Athletics said Mizzou is ready to roll on Saturday morning as the university has a sufficient amount of staff needed to run the game, after concerns with filling staff positions earlier this week.

Joos said what made the staffing possible was Mizzou’s concessionaires were responsible for getting staffing for that area, the university has a network they use for some of the key positions and outsourcing to help fill other positions. 

“Between all three of those parties,” Joos said. “We solicited some of our (athletic) staff and some of our student-athletes have volunteered to help us as well. So, by all... four or five of those options together, and we have successfully got the people that we need to have the game.”

Joos said teamwork was what made this possible, and during COVID-19, he said you've got to be very nimble and very quick on your feet, but that the university is used to having multiple events on the same day.

Another area that helped Mizzou pull off the game in such a short notice was moving their ticket office to digital ticketing this year. 

As of around three Friday afternoon, Joos said there were over 10,000 tickets sold so far. 

Joos said the university was very pleased with how things went for the first game in terms of the COVID-19 precautions that were put in place and through communications. 

Joos said getting things out and in the hands of ticket holders relative to the procedures that are in place by using primarily on digital and social media was helpful. 

“You just hope that they see the messages as well and can follow the messaging that we put out as we move forward,” Joos said. “Our fans did a great job of respecting obviously social distancing within the stadium, face coverings things like that…. so hopefully that'll continue again tomorrow and I'm confident that it will."

While the local health department is also hopeful in seeing the same compliance as last home game day.  

“Based on what we saw last time,” said Scott Clardy, the Columbia/Boone County Health Department assistant director. “The facilities demonstrated they know how to do things the right way. And so we have every reason to believe they're going to try to do that.”

Clardy said it's any time people come from anywhere really outside of Columbia, it’s a concern to health officials.

This is because of the mask order and other regulations in place that people may not be aware of, but he said Columbia businesses have been pretty good about dealing with those situations. 

“What we asked them to do is.. make a good faith effort,” Clardy said. “That's things like putting up signs, making curbside service available... certainly they can ask people if they... aren't wearing a mask if they need a mask or to put on.” 

Clardy said the health department will continue working with restaurants and bars in Columbia and Boone County to do the best they can to keep people safe.

All usual COVID-19 guidelines are still in place for the football game on Saturday.

Parking lots will open three hours before the game and there will be no tailgating allowed on campus.

Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.