The NFL season has officially made it to Week 16, despite a raging COVID-19 pandemic that shut down sports leagues around the world earlier this year and, at times, threatened to do the same this football regular season. And with the conclusion of Week 15 came something the Buffalo Bills have been awaiting for a very long time: the AFC East crown. As they finish out the regular season and prep for the playoffs, they're not only fighting to finish strong and take momentum into January -- they're fighting to get fans back in the stands.
Bills Stadium hasn't hosted fans at any point in 2020 due to a mandate levied ahead of the season, but that might soon change, with New York governor Andrew Cuomo considering a proposal from the team that would permit them to house 6,700 fans for the playoffs, per Chris Horvatits of WIVB-TV Buffalo.
The overarching concerns would involve fans adhering to strict policies on distancing and face coverings, violation of which would result in immediate ejection from the building. Additionally, all parties are considering the possibility of having every fan take a COVID-19 test prior to entering the facility and contact tracing them when the game concludes, among other variables, are being discussed between the Bills, Cuomo and the health commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker.
"You could show up a half an hour before a football game, and get a test, and go into a game," Cuomo said, via Pro Football Talk. "We're exploring some options. The Bills proposed 6,700 fans for their upcoming playoff game. The New York State Department of Health is working on a model where fans get tested on the way in and contact traced after to see what the effect is."
In order for the current proposal -- or any that involves a group gathering, to be approved by Cuomo -- it must first be given the green light by Zucker. That said, on some level, Cuomo himself is open to the idea, noting how much he'd like to be present to root for the Bills.
"I would like to be at that game -- a playoff game -- as much as anyone," he said after the Bills clinched the division, via The Buffalo News. "This has been a long time coming for Buffalo, and there are no fans like Buffalo Bills fans."
And with that, Bills Mafia waits with bated breath for a decision.
