ORCHARD PARK (WBEN) - One of the most anticipated games in years for Bills fans is scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday against the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
But of course, like every other home game so far this season, there won't be fans in attendance to share the experience.
Late last month, Governor Cuomo said he was eager to get Bills fans back in the stands, indicating that he wanted to visit Orchard Park in person to make sure safety protocols and precautions would suffice.
"I want to go out and take a tour of the stadium and meet with the team leadership and talk it through," said Cuomo. "Is there a way that we could, with the design of the stadium, get people in and out without causing a gathering."
[shortcode-inline-related expand="1" link="/wben/news/local/cuomo-i-am-100-percent-eager-to-get-fans-back-at-stadium" headline="Cuomo: I am "100 percent eager" to get fans back at Bills Stadium" image="/media-library/image.jpg?id=63626968"]But has there been any progress since Cuomo's comments were made? Not to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz's knowledge.
"I have not talked to (the governor) personally about this - we have not talked in recent weeks," said Poloncarz.
Poloncarz believes Cuomo has been rather preoccupied with some of the COVID developments taking place downstate, suggesting that reopening the stadium hasn't exactly been at the top of the governor's priority list.
"We're talking about 1.5%-1.8% percentages here, and we're not happy about that, but in some of the zip codes down in Brooklyn, Queens, parts of Westchester County, they were over 10%," Poloncarz continued. "So, the governor has had his mind on something that he should be, which is stemming the increased numbers down there."
While perhaps not the biggest issue going on around the state, the lack of progress is still not the news many Bills fans were hoping to hear.
"Assuming there's a Kansas City game, and let's get through the Tennessee game, assuming there's a Kansas City game, there will be no fans," said the county executive. "After that, I'm not so certain."
