Orchard Park, NY (WBEN) - Bills fans lucky enough to snag one of the 6,000+ tickets for the team's first home playoff game in 25 years are now learning the next steps they need to take before being able to attend Saturday's matchup with Indianapolis.
Everyone who has a ticket will also need a negative COVID test to enter the stadium. Dr. Jon Cohen, Executive Director of Bioreference Laboratories, will be running the testing program that will happen this Wednesday and Thursday at the Stadium.
"Once you schedule (a test), we will have 30 lanes set up in the Bills parking lot," Dr. Cohen said. "You show up for your time, and we're hoping just to make this several minutes. You pull in, roll down your window, you'll get swabbed, we then package up the specimen and send it to our lab."
From that point, it might be a nerve-racking waiting game for fans. Results should take a bit over 24 hours to report.
"When you open the secure email, it will give you a link to a PDF and will show you your results. You have to show up with that either on your phone or print out the PDF, and present that at Bills Stadium before you're allowed in the stadium," Dr. Cohen said. "You have to also have an ID with you verifying that you're the person that's holding that result. Once you get past that gate, you'll present your ticket and get let in to the stadium."
Bioreference Labs conducted over 1 Million tests for the NFL over the course of the season, and was involved in the testing for many other pro sports leagues. Dr. Cohen said that based on the data, it is likely that several hundred people will test positive for COVID. Those people will not be allowed in to the game, and their tickets will not be re-distributed.
