Relative of Sabres employee who was at game vs. Penguins in Buffalo tests positive for coronavirus
A family member of a Buffalo Sabres employee who attended a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. on March 5 has tested positive for coronavirus.
The Sabres issued a statement on Thursday announcing the testing result.
During the 4-2 victory by the Penguins, the individual, who was not identified, sat in section 211.
The statement offered few specifics but did indicate the infected individual tested positive outside of New York.
In full, the statement reads:
“A relative of a Buffalo Sabres employee recently tested positive for covid-19 outside of New York State. The diagnosed individual is receiving care and is in isolation outside of New York State. This individual does not reside in Western New York and had limited interactions during a recent visit to Buffalo between March 5 and 6. This individual returned home and did not show any symptoms of covid-19 until several days after leaving the state.
“The individual was asymptomatic when they attended the Buffalo Sabres game on March 5 and sat in Section 211. We have been in contact with the Erie County Department of Health and they advised us that based on CDC Guidelines this asymptomatic individual would likely not be infectious during the game.
“During a press conference on March 16, the Erie County Department of Health advised all county residents that they should assume they have been exposed to covid-19 in the recent past and to monitor symptoms of fever, cough or shortness of breath. Call your doctor for medical advice.
“We are supporting the family member in all ways possible and would like to thank them for their open communication with Sabres management and wish them a speedy recovery.
“The health and well-being of our employees and community is our top priority. The areas within KeyBank Center that this individual came in contact with were previously cleaned and will continue to be cleaned pursuant to CDC standards.
“Together, we will get through this challenging situation.”
As is usually the case for Penguins games in Buffalo, a number of Penguins fans were in attendance at that game.
After a practice at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday, the Penguins traveled back to Pittsburgh Thursday and have not held any sort of team activity since because of the NHL’s indefinite pause as a precaution against the coronavirus.
On Monday, the NHL issued a statement suggesting teams would not be able to practice, let alone play, until late April or early May at the earliest.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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