Iowa City plans to bar Melrose Avenue vendors from setting up outside Kinnick Stadium over COVID-19 concerns

Although the Iowa Hawkeyes are scheduled to return to Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 5, tailgaters will notice that a staple of the venue's ambiance is missing. 

On Wednesday, Iowa City officials confirmed that the Melrose Avenue vendors will not be able to sell their wares outside the stadium on game days this fall.

City Manager Geoff Fruin announced Wednesday that, in the interest of public health, the city would not issue the temporary use permits for the dozen or so vendors who normally set up shop along Melrose Avenue on fall weekends.

"We believe this decision is consistent with guidance from health experts who continue to stress the importance of social distancing," Fruin wrote in an email.

► More Thursday:Masks required, up to 15,000 fans: Here's Iowa's football plan for Kinnick Stadium games

Marnie Teagle, a code enforcement specialist in the city's Neighborhood and Development Services Department, said 13 permits were issued for vendors along Melrose Avenue in 2019. She said vendors tend to be well-established, having worked the crowded street for many years by offering food or retail to tailgaters outside the stadium that seats nearly 70,000.

"When you think of game day vendors, you picture Melrose Avenue — with all the activity and busy-ness and food," Teagle said. "It'll be different to see it gone."

► Watch again:Iowa City mayor announces face mask order in response to COVID-19

Iowa City remains under a civil crisis declaration as city officials try to minimize the effect of the novel coronavirus on the city's residents. A July order from Mayor Bruce Teague requires anyone in the city older than the age of 2 to wear face coverings when they're unable to maintain six feet of separation and around anyone outside members of their household.

The Hawkeyes are scheduled to play 10 games this season — against Big Ten competition only — starting with the Sept. 5 matchup with Maryland in Iowa City and concluding with a visit to Ohio State on Nov. 21. There are two open Saturdays in the schedule, with the Big Ten title game scheduled for Dec. 5 in Indianapolis.

► Also Wednesday:Big Ten football players demand better COVID-19 safety protocols in a letter to conference, NCAA

► More from USA TODAY:'There's just no way' to play amid the coronavirus pandemic without 'high risk'

► From USA TODAY columnist Dan Wolken:Let's be honest: College football has no real plan to play in COVID-19 era

Zachary Oren Smith writes about government, growth and development for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Reach him at zsmith@press-citizen.com, at 319 -339-7354 or on Twitter via @Zacharyos.

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