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As the COVID pandemic shows no signs of abating, NFL teams are taking steps to ensure that their fans are vaccinated. The first to come out and announce a vaccine mandate were the Las Vegas Raiders, who last season had to open their new stadium and play without fans in it. The Buffalo Bills, who have many vaccine-hesitant players in their midst, became the second franchise to mandate that fans who attend games be vaccinated.
NFL teams mandating fans be vaccinated
The Las Vegas Raiders were the first team to announce that they would require all their fans to be vaccinated. They instituted a policy where all fans could attend without masks in the stadium, but for that to happen, they needed to be vaccinated. This followed an Emergency Order by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak. Other teams that have vaccination requirements were the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints, but each allows the fans to have an option of showing a negative COVID-19 test result to attend.
Now, the Buffalo Bills have followed suit and instituted a vaccination policy that mirrors the Las Vegas Raiders. Unvaccinated fans cannot attend the games even with the benefit of a negative COVID-19 test. The concerns came about because, during the first match of the season, people were seen openly flouting mask norms, which required unvaccinated people to wear masks as per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. There was also no indication that the rules were followed in concourses and restrooms, which are crowded indoor spaces and where everyone, irrespective of vaccination status, was supposed to wear a mask.
As per report, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, the decision was jointly taken by the county and Pegula Sports & Entertainment that owns the Buffalo Bills. A single dose of vaccination will be accepted for the next game, but by the end of October, all fans who wish to attend must have had both doses, if applicable. Since all the fans attending will now be vaccinated, the Buffalo Bills will follow a similar no-mask policy as the Las Vegas Raiders, where nobody has to wear a mask anywhere in the stadium. The only exception to this will be children under the age of 12, who are yet to be vaccinated.
After the second round of games, when many stadiums will entertain fans for the first time this regular season, other NFL teams could also join the mandate.
