Owner of Buffalo Bills, Sabres to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination from fans
Fans of the New England Patriots and Boston Bruins who want to attend games in Buffalo this year will need to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to do so.
The Buffalo Bills joined the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday as the only NFL teams to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for all fans over the age of 12.
The rules will be the same for Buffalo Sabres games at the KeyBank Center when the NHL season gets underway next month.
Unvaccinated fans were allowed to attend the Bills' opening game at Highmark Stadium on Sunday, but they were supposed to wear masks at all times under guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many at the game said they saw very few face coverings at the packed stadium, including in restrooms and other indoor areas where even vaccinated fans were expected to wear a mask.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said the policy shift was a joint decision between the county and Pegula Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Bills and Sabres.
“We believe that the only way to ensure a real safe atmosphere is to actually have people vaccinated,” Poloncarz said.
There will be no option to offer a negative virus test instead of proof of vaccination, as allowed by the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks, the only other two teams to announce vaccination requirements.
Under the new policy, vaccinated fans will no longer be required to wear masks at home games but the mask requirement remains in place for children under 12, who are too young to be vaccinated.
Fans must have received at least one dose in time for the Sept. 26 game against Washington and be fully vaccinated by the Oct. 31 game against Miami.
The Patriots are scheduled to play the Bills in Buffalo on Dec. 6, which means New England fans will need to be fully vaccinated in order to enter Highmark Stadium.
The Bruins, meanwhile, are scheduled to play their first game in Buffalo against the Sabres on Oct. 22. Boston hockey fans attending this game at KeyBank Center will only need to prove that they received one COVID-19 vaccine dose in order to enter the arena, according to the Sabres' website.
However, Bruins fans will need to prove they are fully vaccinated in order to attend the team's next game in Buffalo on Nov. 24.
Latest health and safety guidelines at major Massachusetts sporting venues:
One major takeaway from Buffalo's new policy is that photos or copies of vaccine cards will not be accepted at either Highmark Stadium or KeyBank Center.
Guests age 12 and older will be required to display either a physical vaccination card, New York State Excelsior Pass, CLEAR digital vaccine card or government-issued digital proof of vaccination if they live outside of New York State.
The Excelsior Pass is only available to people who live in the state of New York or were vaccinated against COVID-19 in the state. Massachusetts, meanwhile, does not issue government-issued digital proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
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Buffalo also joins a growing list of cities announcing vaccine mandates for hockey fans. The expansion Seattle Kraken announced last week that they will require fans ages 12 and over to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
“As a general matter, we very much support health and safety rules that promote and encourage vaccination,” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in an email.
The Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks also have announced mandates, The Seattle Times reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.