Fans attending Syracuse Mets games this season will have to take a rapid COVID-19 test before gaining entrance to the stadium. The testing center is directly outside NBT Bank Stadium. Fans have to wait 30 minutes after getting tested before being allowed inside the ballpark, depending on if they test negative.
The Minor League baseball season started this week with the Mets hosting the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders
Fans who got tested were pleased with the process as the line was short.
“It’s my second day in a row,” Dan Brown said, “It was quick, efficient and friendly.”
Testing takes place between 1:00 and 7:00 on gamedays. Fans who are tested at the stadium site must also preregister at an Onondaga County website. Information needed includes address, phone, and date of birth.
Fans can opt out of testing if they have proof of receiving their final vaccine at least two weeks. They also can skip testing at the stadium if have proof of a recent, prior negative COVID-19 test.
The new protocol was only announced two weeks ago, and at least one fan was impressed with the testing service under a quick turnaround.
“Really good job of it, after pretty short notice,” said Lawson Brown.
The Mets might have to change their stadium protocols even more as Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that outdoor venues could hold sections with exclusively vaccinated attendees.
“Our state’s positivity and hospitalization rates continue to drop and more people are getting vaccinated, so now it’s time to readjust our reopening based on the science and the data,” Governor Cuomo said in a press conference on May 5.
Capacity in these sections can be 100%. There is no word yet if the Syracuse Mets will have their own vaccinated sections.
