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Runners and walkers- will this change your plans?
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Organizers of the Cooper River Bridge Run announced Thursday that everyone who participates in the event must show proof they are fully vaccinated or have tested negative for COVID prior to the start of the Expo.
Participants may bring an original paper copy, digital copy, photocopy or digital photo of their vaccination card, according to a release from the event. Alternatively, they must test negative for COVID within 72 hours of the Bridge Run Expo.
The Cooper River Bridge Run, which usually happens in late March or early April, is set for Sept. 25 this year.
“The fastest path to picking up bib numbers for the 44th annual Bridge Run is being fully vaccinated,” the release states. “Upon successful verification of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, participants will gain access to their bib numbers, which can be picked up from the Bridge Run Expo at the Charleston Area Convention Center on Sept. 23 from noon to 8 p.m. and Sept. 24 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Bridge Run organizers said Wednesday they will follow guidelines from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They plan to include face masks and hand sanitizer in runners’ packets. They will also require masks at the Bridge Run Expo, in corrals and bus shuttles.
They also capped the number of participants at 25,000 this year, compared to 35,000 to 40,000 runners in previous years.
With little more than two weeks to go before race day, to be fully vaccinated, participants would have to take the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine by Friday. One is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after they receive that particular vaccine.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines each require two doses given several weeks apart and one is not considered fully vaccinated with those vaccines until two weeks after they receive their second dose.
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