Knicks fans desperate to return to Madison Square Garden are paying $ 250 for last-minute testing of COVID before breaking the news in order to meet new state testing rules for major venues.
According to regulations that went into effect on February 23, locations with more than 10,000 people can operate at 10 percent capacity – as long as all guests have passed the COVID test within 72 hours of the report.
But any old COVID test is not enough. The state requires fans to do more sensitive and accurate PCR tests, or polymerase chain reaction. Unlike a rapid test, which can give a result in a few minutes, the results of the PCR test can take hours or days.
“I’ve been stuck in a house for a year and a half, so I’ll be happy to spend whatever it is now,” said Anthony Jones, 33 from Queens, after disbursing $ 250 to do the necessary PCR test before the Knicks were scheduled to face the Pacers on Saturday night.
Saturday’s competition marked the Knicks’ third fight with fans at The Garden under the new rules.
The test requirements leave few reliable options for the fans, because most suppliers can only guarantee the results of the specialized “PCR” test within three to five days.
New York is the only state that requires this level of testing for large facilities, said a spokesman for Madison Square Garden.
Enter the Rapid Test NYC. The company – which has been making headlines during the pandemic for its expensive COVID-related concierge services that serve wealthy New Yorkers – set up a makeshift clinic inside a Stewart Hotel conference room on MSG’s 8th Avenue, where it is administering PCR tests with a promised response time of 30 minutes.
“If a fan is not tested, they will not let him into the game, and that sucks,” said Mark Golberg, who is running the Stewart Hotel Rapid Test NYC Center and two other physical locations in Nolita and East 72nd Street.
He said fans entered the Stewart Hotel after presenting a quick non-PCR test to MSG ticket buyers.
“So they need to come to us,” said Goldberg. “Either they actually did a test on City MD or whatever and the results are not ready in time. We are the last resort. “
That’s what happened to a pair of Scarsdale’s father and son who said they had a PCR test at another clinic on Thursday, but didn’t get the results in time for Saturday’s game.
“We are kind of stuck having to do this test. I don’t know if we have a choice, ”lamented the father, who refused to give his name. “We are going to two games here – tonight and the hockey game tomorrow – and we still haven’t received our tests back.”
Rapid Test NYC is one of three test sites where MSG recommends that users take the test. Northwell Health’s GoHealth emergency call centers, which recommend testing three days before the game, and Vault Health, which will send fans a quick test kit before game day, are also listed as recommended vendors.
“Ticket holders can choose any healthcare provider to meet 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 prices. The three providers offer alternatives for urgent care, at home and on the day of the test, ”a Madison Square Garden spokesman said in a statement.
A second pair of father and son, who identified themselves as the Philadelphia Boothe family, said they were taken by surprise by the requirements and planned to sell their tickets because they could not afford the $ 250 test price.
“It’s $ 500 to go to the game. When you spend $ 500 plus $ 200, it’s almost $ 1,000 just to get into this building right here, ”said the disappointed father after visiting Stewart Hotel. “It is a kind of extortion. We’re upset, but what can we do? I’m not spending $ 500 to go to a game that costs $ 200 for two tickets. ”