Mask up at Allen Fieldhouse or else, KU chancellor says. Will Jayhawks fans listen?

KU Chancellor Douglas Girod has spoken: Mask up, or the school will reduce the number of spectators inside Allen Fieldhouse for home basketball games. Don’t bother fake eating or drinking to bypass the mandate. The acting job will get you tossed out of the gym and end concession sales.

The number of positive COVID-19 cases caused by the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus has surged in recent weeks. The University of Kansas Health System’s staffing shortage worsens by the day. The hospital was short nearly 900 staff members at the start of the week.

Several nearby school districts have reinstated mask mandates due to the high number of positive cases among school children. And Douglas County implemented an emergency mask mandate for all indoor public spaces just last week that includes Allen Fieldhouse.

Even the most ardent KU basketball supporter isn’t immune to a virus that can spread quickly among a group of screaming fans without masks on.

Former Kansas basketball head coach Roy Williams was expected back at Allen Fieldhouse Tuesday for the first time since 2003. It would be a shame if the homecoming was the last game in front of a capacity crowd at the venerable gymnasium for the foreseeable future.