BUFFALO (WBEN) - With Buffalo Bills fans riding high after sweeping the New England Patriots and home playoff games the next focal point of an historic season, there's still no clarity on whether any of the Bills Mafia will be in the stands for the games.
On Monday, no official announcement was made by Governor Andrew Cuomo regarding the possibility of a limited number of fans being allowed into Bills Stadium for a home playoff game, but he noted that the dialogue between the organization and State Department of Health is ongoing.
Last week, it was revealed that state officials are looking at a plan that would require COVID testing for fans before entry into the stadium.
"The National Football League currently does games without testing," said Cuomo last week. "The Buffalo Bills are going to have a playoff game. Could we allow fans to the game with testing and then contact trace after the game? That's what the Department of Health has been working on.
"The Buffalo Bills proposed 6,700 fans," the governor continued. "The Department of Health is working on a model where you would test the fans before they go in. If they are negative, they go in and then contact trace afterwards to see what the effect was."
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz is hopeful that fans will be allowed in some capacity, especially since the Bills will be hosting their first playoff game in more than 20 years, but he says an announcement is needed in the near future.
"Early on we said we thought we could get 7,000 (fans) in safely," said Poloncarz during a Monday afternoon press briefing. "The state has now talked about potentially doing testing - we could not test that many people all at once - we just don't have the capability of doing that. If the state can do it or the Bills can do it, I said we can get 7,000 in, we think we can get 7,000 in - if the state wants to limit it to 6,700, okay."
However, as of the Monday press briefing, Poloncarz noted that he hadn't heard anything definitive.
"Get ready for what will be a home playoff game - there's no doubt about that - and hopefully there will be fans," he continued. "We're doing our best and we need to get an answer soon from everyone just so that we can prepare, because as I've said before, the team that's intimately involved in the vaccine delivery as well as the COVID-19 response are some of the same people that would have to be at the stadium on game day to ensure the safety of the fans."
