Mass Covid testing begins for Bills' playoff game: 'It was quick. It was easy.'

Call it pregaming, pandemic-style.

A steady stream of fans pulled into Lot 4 and were directed toward three, long white tents, each designed to accommodate 10 lanes of traffic. As each vehicle pulled into the tent, a team of lab techs wearing personal protective equipment approached and swirled a swab around the insides of the fans' nostrils. Then, each fan drove away with instructions to check their email in about a day and half to find out whether they were free of the coronavirus – and could safely attend Saturday's game.

"We're 53-year season ticket holders," said Cindy Sullivan of Hamburg, just after she and her husband were tested. "We've been to all the playoff games whether they've been at one below zero or whatever. We're here to support the team. We're excited for them."

Each of the nearly 6,800 people attending Saturday's game against the Indianapolis Colts will have to show proof of a negative test to enter the stadium, under a plan crafted by the Bills and Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.

If successful, the mass-testing operation could become a model for how to reopen other large-scale activities, from sporting events and Broadway shows to traveling and going to college.

Fans said they did not mind undergoing the testing Wednesday.

"It was easy. Just a little swab," Sullivan said.

Sullivan called watching her beloved Bills play so well this season a welcome distraction.

Sullivan, who battled Covid-19, said she was "this close" to being hospitalized in November, holding her thumb and forefinger a quarter-inch apart.

"It was something to look forward to," she said of the Bills games.

The testing is being conducted by BioReference Laboratories, a New Jersey lab that has handled testing for the National Football League's players and staff this season, the National Basketball Association's "bubble" and more than 200,000 New York City public school students.

The lab regularly processes 60,000 tests a day, said Dr. Jon Cohen, executive chairman of BioReference, and it has experience conducting thousands of tests at one location in a day.

"But this is the largest drive-thru," Cohen told The Buffalo News.

Ryan Kellogg, vice president of sales for BioReference, described how it worked Wednesday.

Fans who were able to purchase one of the roughly 6,200 available tickets to the game – more than 500 are committed to players' families, sponsors and the opposing team – were emailed a link to schedule a test. The cost of the test – $63 per person – was included in the ticket purchase. 

Testing was scheduled to be conducted 12 hours a day Wednesday and Thursday. As of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, after six hours of testing, 3,000 tests had been conducted.

Fans never get out of their cars. They drive into one of three open tents, each holding 10 lanes. There are three to four workers assigned to each lane who handle paperwork and testing.

Throughout the day, BioReference has couriers who drive batches of tests to their facility in New Jersey.

"Each fan will be receiving a secure email approximately 24 hours after it reaches the lab with the results," Kellogg said.

Fans will have to show that result, either printed out or on their phone, when they show up for Saturday's game.

The testing is part of the state's plan to figure out ways to safely reopen more of the economy. Mass testing, conducted quickly, could pave the way for more large events in the future.

"This could start a model for other venues, whether it's universities ... Broadway ... the travel industry, other games," Kellogg said.

The experiment is being conducted at a precarious time in Buffalo and Erie County as well as the state.

The region and state have both seen a steady increase in the Covid-19 positivity rate as well as hospitalizations. Cuomo said Wednesday that the state's positivity rate was at 8.41% and more than 8,600 people were hospitalized with the virus.

Since November, when new cases began skyrocketing in Western New York, Erie County has been designated an "orange zone," meaning restaurants aren't allowed to offer indoor dining.

Dan Voegtly of the Town of Tonawanda, who wore two layers of masks, expressed confidence in the testing plan.

"It's so well-organized," he said. "It was quick. It was easy. It took longer to fill out the form than to take the test."

Chris Mascia and his mother, Sue Mascia, both of East Aurora, were also pleased with how easily the testing went, although they both found it a bizarre experience.

"My son said it was like being in the Disney World parking lot," Sue Mascia said.

Going to this playoff game will be especially meaningful for the family.

Robert Mascia, Sue's husband and Chris' dad, died in October of cancer. He was a devoted Bills fan who wore his Bills hat everywhere, even while traveling, because he loved to talk about the Bills.

So when the Bills made the playoffs, there was no keeping them from getting tickets to the playoff game.

Chris will go with his mom in his dad's place.

Sue Mascia said she will bring a photo of her late husband with her to the game. Chris said he wears his dad's old Bills hat.

"It's definitely a silver lining on a very awful year," Chris Mascia said.