Fans will not be allowed to attend the Buffalo Bills' first two home games in September, the team announced Tuesday, complying with state and local health officials and government authorities working to stem the spread of Covid-19.
The decision affects the regular season opener against the New York Jets on Sept. 15 and a Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 27 at Bills Stadium.
"In June, New York State issued COVID-19 guidance to allow professional sports to be played without spectators," a statement from the team read. "After much discussion and collaboration with the State and Erie County, those guidelines will remain unchanged for at least our first two home games in 2020.
"We fully support New York State's efforts to keep New Yorkers safe and will continue working together, along with the NFL, to establish policies and procedures that hopefully permit fans later this season.
"We appreciate your patience and continued support of the Bills. We are working hard to be ready when we can welcome you back to Bills Stadium."
The Bills plan to reassess the situation on a game-by-game or month-by-month basis.
The team’s two home games in September are followed by one home game in October, against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 15. There are three home games in November, against the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Chargers; one in December against the Pittsburgh Steelers; and one in January, the regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins.
The Bills' announcement to bar fans from the stadium also extends to the parking lots, shutting down the tailgating scene.
The Erie County Department of Health decided to prohibit tailgating activities near Bills Stadium in the event fans were barred from attending games, Orchard Park Councilman Conor Flynn told The News last week.
The Bills join at least 15 other NFL teams that have announced they’ll begin the season without fans in the stands because of the pandemic.
Also on Tuesday, the Rams and Chargers announced that no fans will be allowed at SoFi Stadium until further notice, the Minnesota Vikings barred fans for the first two home games, and the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers announced they will not have fans at their home openers.
Four teams, including the New York Jets and Giants, Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Football Team, have barred fans from attending any games this season.
Five teams have announced plans to allow limited fan attendance this season: the Dolphins, Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The rest have yet to announce specific plans.
The NFL has said it is up to individual teams and municipalities to determine plans for fans to attend games this season and that regional variability is expected based on local infection rates and other factors.
“It’s not a surprise that there’s regional variability in the state because, obviously, there are differences in the state of the pandemic and the state of the infection as you move across the country,” said Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer, during a conference call with reporters Monday. “So the fact that there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, I think, shouldn’t be surprising given the medical situations across the league.”
Last month, New York State said fans would be prohibited from being inside Bills Stadium and from tailgating. The Bills allowed season ticket holders to opt out until 2021 without losing seniority. Those who applied their 2020 funds as an account credit toward 2021 will receive exclusive access to single-game tickets, if fans are allowed this season.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz on Monday issued a statement on local Covid-19 spread that cast doubt on the Bills’ ability to host fans this season.
“As a note on professional sporting events, under current NYS guidelines no fans are allowed in Buffalo Bills games,” the statement read. “If new cases and positivity rates continue to increase, it is extremely unlikely that NYS will allow fans into games.”
The home of the Buffalo Bills has been known by many names. On March 30, 2021, it was announced that Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York secured the naming rights and the stadium will now be called Highmark Stadium.
