A huge number of college football fans flooded the streets of Tuscaloosa, Alabama after their championship win on Monday, defying social distancing recommendations.
The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Ohio StateĀ State Buckeyes 52-24 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida to a limited crowd of 14,000 people. Alabama’s star wide receiver DeVonta Smith, the Heisman Trophy winner, put up over 200 receiving yards with three touchdowns. This championship is Alabama’s fifth title since 2010 and 18th title in team history.
Many of the fans who packed the streets in Tuscaloosa appeared to not be wearing masks.
Alabama Crimson Tide fans flood the streets of Tuscaloosa after the team secured its 18th national title. pic.twitter.com/k9UCH8BC4m
— James Benedetto (@james_benedetto) January 12, 2021
Tuscaloosa right now: pic.twitter.com/nzy2weMnYK
— Hailey Sutton (@_HaileySutton) January 12, 2021
Many people got upset and took to Twitter to vent about how Crimson Tide fans handled themselves, and worried this could result in a super-spreader event.
Really just unfathomable ignorance here. Shameful to see
— Nice Marmot (@atoeby3oclock) January 12, 2021
The crowd is pretty close together during a pandemic. It's not going to be good for Alabama's healthcare system in about two weeks!
— Tammy Dzwilewski (@tdzwilewski) January 12, 2021
I am so hopeful about America in so many ways, but when I see images like this I despair.
— Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) (@HC_Richardson) January 12, 2021
According to the New York Times, Alabama has over 400,000 cases of COVID-19 to date, which has resulted in over 5,000 deaths. Over the past week, there has been an average of 4,272 cases per day, which is an increase of 30% from the average two weeks earlier.