Buffalo fans planning to watch Saturday night’s Bills game in a sports bar should plan to go home at halftime.
The State of New York has a mandatory 10 p.m. closing time for bars and restaurants. The Bills’ game against the Ravens on Saturday night kicks off at 8:15 p.m., so it won’t be over until at least an hour after bars close. And the state says no exceptions will be made on Saturday.
“The fact is the CDC has specifically pointed to indoor dining as a higher-risk activity, and this policy is a commonsense way to reduce the risk of exposure,” a Health Department spokesman told the Buffalo News. “As much as we feel for restaurants in Buffalo and as much as we want to let fans watch the game at bars, we won’t sacrifice public health.”
The state is allowing 6,700 fans to attend the game in Buffalo. As was the case for last week’s Bills home game, all fans will have to test negative for COVID-19.