A county in Buffalo, New York will soon be implementing a "no COVID-19 vaccine, no entry" regulation for NFL fans looking to enjoy games this Fall. Fans, however, aren't even slightly happy about it.
Fans of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, as well as other New York teams are very upset with the Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz's new plan to allow places such as the Highmark Stadium and the KeyBank Center to operate on full capacity, as long as people who show up are fully vaccinated. For those who aren't, they will not be allowed in the premises.
According to WGRZ, New York County executive Mark Poloncarz took to this week's COVID-19 briefing to announce their plan to only allow NFL fans who have been fully vaccinated to watch the games this Fall. He added that Highmark Stadium and the KeyBank Center staff will also be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to return to their jobs at the venues.
NFL fans will also have to provide proof of vaccination through New York's Excelsior app, which serves as a digital boarding pass certifying that an individual has either been vaccinated against COVID-19 or has been tested negative for the disease.
"Our goal is to have a 100 percent full house for the Bills and Sabres starting in the fall and that's ensuring everybody who enters that facility, the fans, the staff are fully vaccinated," Poloncarz announced. "Our plan is unless you are vaccinated you will not have entry into the stadium."
The New York county executive of Erie argued that there is no need for state approval for this regulation, as the sports venues are county-owned properties. New York sports teams will also have their own restrictions when it comes to their staff.
Poloncarz said that they are currently planning logistics for NFL fans who are not New York residents and may not have the Excelsior app. As for children, he expects kids 12 to 15 year olds to be vaccinated this summer as scheduled in the government's vaccine rollout plan.
Frustrated NFL fans took to social media to air their concerns after the New York county announced it won't allow them to watch the game in person unless they're vaccinated against COVID-19.
For example, according to the Western Journal, Twitter user Jared Forcucci, who goes by the username of @BuffSportsFreak argued, "If vaccinated people won't get sick, why can't unvaccinated people make their own choice to go to a game with their own risk of getting sick[?] Unless of course the vaccine doesn't work."
The football team Buffalo Bills said in a statement on Tuesday that they are committed to abiding by the COVID-19 regulations implemented by the New York state and local government regarding their sporting events.
However, a petition for the Buffalo Bills to protest the COVID-19 vaccination requirements has already been started. Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw is also in opposition of the plan, calling it a "dictatorial scheme to control [the public's] behavior."
