Children five and older will now have to provide proof of vaccination to enter Buffalo sports venues, including the KeyBank Center, which is home to the Buffalo Sabres, and Highmark Stadium, home to the Buffalo Bills.
Pegula Sports and Entertainment, the company that owns the Bills and the Sabres, announced changes to its vaccination policy on Wednesday morning, according to WROC. Effective immediately, children ages five to 11 must show proof of at least one vaccination to gain entry to Blue Cross Arena, Highmark Stadium, or the KeyBank Center.
Guests must show either a physical vaccination card, a New York State Excelsior Pass, or government digital vaccine proof from outside of New York.
Neither photograph of vaccination cards nor negative coronavirus tests will be accepted for entry.
The venues have required proof of vaccination from children 12 and older since late September, according to WROC. Shortly after the requirement was announced, Breitbart News reported Republican legislator Frank Todaro of Eerie County threatened to veto funds for a new Bills stadium if Pegula Sports and Entertainment went forward with the requirement.
Todaro said in a statement:
Today the team joins the County Executive and announces that non-vaccinated fans can no longer attend games. I don’t represent vaccinated and non-vaccinated persons, I was elected to represent people. All people. I personally am vaccinated. It was the right decision for me. It is not the right decision for everyone and I respect that. I do not like the path we are heading down as a society, and as a legislator, I cannot support it. I will not support tax dollars to build a new stadium if rules remain in place that only certain people can use it. If everyone is paying for it, everyone should be able to use it. The rule wasn’t in place on Sunday, and Highmark Stadium was packed. Obviously, people made a choice about whether or not they thought it was safe and I believe they should have that freedom. If they don’t think it is safe, they should stay home. In conclusion, if the Bills want to make these kinds of rules on their own, they can, but they should then stop asking for significant taxpayer support. I was elected to serve, not rule. That standard seems lost on County Executive Poloncarz.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has expressed confidence a deal will get done by March so the stadium can be included in the state budget this April, the Associated Press reports.
“My desire — I’m a Buffalo Bills fan — is let’s lock this down, let’s get it done,” Hochul said. “We’re very excited about announcing a deal hopefully in the near future. But a lot of devil in the details.”