BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) – If any Buffalo Bills season ticket holders want a refund for their season tickets because of their decision to not get a COVID-19 vaccine, they will need to inform the team by Friday at 8 p.m.
Season ticket members will receive a pro-rated refund. A spokesperson for the team told WBEN that refunding tickets will also result in a loss of seniority.
Erie County and Pegula Sports on Tuesday announced their vaccine mandate which begins on September 25 for all events at Highmark Stadium and KeyBank Center. Fans who want to attend any event will need to have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Full vaccination is required for any event at either venue after October 31.
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“I’m upset,” Jordan, a Cheektowaga man who has held season tickets for the last nine years and is unvaccinated, told WBEN. “I’m really upset about it.”
His reluctance to get the vaccine is for personal family reasons and because he wants to know the long-term effects of it. That reluctance may ultimately cost him his season tickets. He said it was wrong to switch the policy after previously allowing unvaccinated fans into Sunday's home opeenr.
The US Food and Drug Administration gave Pfizer’s two-dose COVID-19 vaccine full authorization in August. The vaccines created by Johnson & Johnson and Moderna are only authorized for emergency use by the federal government.
“Think about the people that aren’t going to go to the game,” he said. “I don’t think they’re going to sell nearly as many tickets, obviously. Do you really think the stadium is going to be full? They probably don’t care about that, but I’m sure the Bills players care about that. Our goal as fans is to pack the stadium and I don’t think the stadium is going to be packed now that they’re going to be mandating the vaccine.”
This vaccine mandate only applies to fans. It does not apply to the players, who have to adhere to the NFL’s regulations, nor the gameday staff, who will follow their company’s policy.
As part of the county and PSE’s new policy, unvaccinated fans cannot “test out” in order to gain entry. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz defended this decision by saying fans who test negative for the virus could, theoretically, test positive for the virus shortly after.
“We feel much more comfortable that the safety of attendees will be much higher if we do not have individuals who are unvaccinated who are then at a much higher risk of getting sick and getting a serious illness,” Poloncarz said.
Poloncarz said this mandate is the safest plan which will allow for full capacity at the stadium.