Less than 2 weeks before the Fighting Irish play host to Duke in Notre Dame Stadium, the school has released its attendance policy. Notre Dame President John Jenkins outlined the plans in a letter to the university community.

“To minimize the risk of transmission of the virus, Notre Dame will reduce its seating capacity by more than 80 percent,” Jenkins wrote in the letter. “The limited seating will be occupied by our students, and to the extent there are remaining seats, our faculty and staff, with everyone required to wear masks and be appropriately distanced throughout the game.”

With Notre Dame Stadium’s capacity at 80,795, that means the Fighting Irish will play in front of about 16,000 fans.

Notre Dame’s first home game is scheduled for Sept. 12 against the Blue Devils

“There will be very few spectators who are not part of the campus community — for example, the families of the players on both teams — and these visitors will be required to follow strict protocols,” Jenkins wrote. “Also, tailgating will be prohibited on campus, and at other Notre Dame property.”

These guidelines and cutbacks will be a major hit to the economy in the area around Notre Dame. The president noted that within the approximately $2.4 billion that the Notre Dame community contributes annually to the regional economy, $185 million is generated each year by football weekends alone. As local restaurants, hotels and other service providers and retailers can attest, approximately 660,000 visitors stream into the area every football season.