Knicks fans desperate to get back to Madison Square Garden posits $ 250 for last-minute COVID testing before tipping, to comply with the new state testing rules for major venues.
According to regulations that went into effect on Feb. 23, venues with more than 10,000 people can operate at a capacity of 10 percent – as long as every guest passes a COVID test within 72 hours of tip-off.
But not just any old COVID test is enough. The state requires fans to get the more sensitive and accurate PCR or polymerase chain reaction tests. Unlike a rapid test, which can give a result in minutes, PCR test results can take hours or days.
“I’ve been stuck in a house for a year and a half, so I’ll happily spend on it now,” said Anthony Jones, 33 of Queens, after making the $ 250 to get the necessary PCR test. the Knicks would take on the Pacers on Saturday night.
Saturday’s game was Knicks’ third game with fans attending The Garden under the new rules.
The testing requirements leave few reliable options for fans, as most providers can only guarantee the specialized “PCR” test results within three to five days.
New York is the only state to require this level of testing for major venues, a Madison Square Garden spokesperson said.
Enter the NYC rapid test. The company – which made headlines during the pandemic for its expensive, COVID-related concierge services for wealthy New Yorkers – has set up a makeshift clinic in a conference room of the Stewart Hotel, just across 8th Avenue from MSG, where the PCR- tests. with a promised turnaround time of 30 minutes.
“If a fan hasn’t been tested, they won’t let him in, and that sucks,” said Mark Golberg, who runs the Stewart Hotel Rapid Test NYC center and two other brick-and-mortar locations. in Nolita and on East 72nd Street.
He said fans walked into the Stewart Hotel after presenting a non-PCR rapid test to MSG cardholders.
“So they have to come to us,” Goldberg said. “Either they actually did a test at City MD or what do you have and the results are not ready on time. We are the last resort. “
That’s what happened to a father-son duo from Scarsdale who said they had a PCR test at a different clinic on Thursday, but didn’t get their results back in time for Saturday’s game.
“We are a bit stuck with this test. I don’t know if we have a choice, ”the father complained, refusing to say his name. “We’re going to two games here – tonight and tomorrow’s hockey game – and we haven’t gotten our tests back yet.”
Rapid Test NYC is one of three testing locations where MSG recommends customers to be tested. Northwell Health’s GoHealth Urgent Care centers, which recommend testing three days prior to game play, and Vault Health, which will send fans a quick test kit prior to game day, are also listed as recommended providers.
“Cardholders can choose any healthcare provider that meets New York State testing requirements. We wanted to help our fans by providing information about test providers that offer different levels of convenience, at different price ranges. The three healthcare providers offer emergency, home and day testing alternatives, ”a Madison Square Garden spokesperson said in a statement.
A second father-son couple, who self-identified as the Boothe family of Philadelphia, said they were completely taken aback by the requirements and planned to sell their tickets because they couldn’t afford the $ 250 test price.
“It’s $ 500 to go to the game. If you spend $ 500 on top of $ 200, that’s almost $ 1,000 to enter this building here, ”said the disappointed father after a visit to the Stewart Hotel. ‘It’s like extortion. We are upset, but what can we do? I don’t spend $ 500 going to a game that’s $ 200 for two tickets. “