ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL TRAVEL AND COVID-19 TESTING PROTOCOLS
Essential Personnel Travel and COVID-19 Testing Protocols
Essential Personnel
New York State is requiring the USGA to conduct the U.S. Open Championship without fans and limit attendance to “essential personnel” only. The following groups of individuals have been deemed “essential personnel” by New York State for the U.S. Open Championship:
• Players
• Caddies
• Player Instructors/Coaches
• Player Fitness Trainers
• Equipment Manufacturer Representatives
Note: Spouses, immediate family of players, agents, managers, and other support groups are currently deemed non-essential by New York State and will not be allowed to attend the championship.
General Travel to State of New York State and New York Advisory for COVID-19
As you know, the State of New York has issued a travel advisory and quarantine requirement for anyone entering from certain “Advisory States” (list of Advisory States and other details are available at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory).
• For the U.S. Open, the State of New York has granted an exemption from the 14 day quarantine for essential workers, but certain requirements must be satisfied as further described below.
• Additionally, if you are entering from an Advisory State, you must register with New York immediately upon arrival within the state:
- Visit https://forms.ny.gov/s3/Welcome-to-New-York-State-Traveler-Health-Form to complete the registration form.
- Check the box indicating you are an “essential worker
- You should receive a green screen after completing the form; if you are asked by New York officials, you can show them the green screen and indicate that you are working as an essential worker at the U.S. Open under the Professional Sports Exemption.
U.S. Open Essential Personnel Travel to State of New York
Based on our agreement with New York State, the USGA will be requiring all players and other essential personnel to take a pre-arrival COVID-19 test and a second COVID-19 test within 24 hours upon arrival in New York, regardless of which state (or country) you are arriving from.
PRE-ARRIVAL COVID-19 Test
It is required that all essential personnel (including players) take a pre-arrival COVID-19 test. This test must be taken between 24 hours and seven days prior to your arrival to the championship. The required test is called Reverse Transcriptase (RT)–PCR SARS-CoV-2 and it tests for active presence of the virus. Please note that any other type of test, including antigen and antibody testing, will not be accepted.
We recommend that you speak with your personal/family physician to discuss the testing options and process. Your physician may be able to administer the test for you or help you locate a testing site in your local area to schedule a COVID-19 test which meets the requirements above. Many pharmacies, urgent care centers and medical facilities currently provide COVID-19 testing, some at no charge to the individual. When scheduling your appointment, be sure to ask when you will receive your results back, as you will need to have a negative test result prior to arrival at the championship.
Alternatively, you can order a saliva-based home test kit from Vault Health. The USGA has made special arrangements with Vault Health to expedite the processing of your test results (usually within 48 hours of sending your sample). Please visit https://www.vaulthealth.com/covid for additional details and contact Robbie Zalzneck (rzalzneck@usga.org) of the USGA to order a Vault test kit.
A negative test result will be required before travel to New York.
Entering the U.S. Open Championship "Bubble"
Upon arrival in New York, players and other essential personnel will be required to take a second COVID-19 test. A second negative result will be required by New York State before access to Winged Foot Golf Club and entrance into the championship “bubble” is granted.
The USGA will be utilizing the PGA TOUR’s testing process with Sanford Laboratories for this onsite COVID-19 testing requirement. The schedule for this testing will be the following:
Saturday, September 12: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday, September 13: 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday, September 14: 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday, September 15: 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday, September 16: 7:00 AM - 12:00 Noon
The testing at the Sanford Laboratories trailer will be located at:
Westchester Marriott (Parking Lot)
670 White Plains Rd
Tarrytown, NY 10591
On Friday, September 4, all essential personnel will receive further instructions and links to the necessary forms to complete for testing through Sanford Laboratories. Results will typically be returned within 2 to 3 hours of taking the test.
Early Arrival into New York for the U.S. Open Championship
Any player or other essential personnel planning to access Winged Foot Golf Club prior to Saturday, September 12 for play or practice (or other essential work) must follow New York State protocols and quarantine until a COVID-19 test can be administered and a negative result is received. To facilitate testing for early players and other essential personnel, the USGA has set up two testing windows:
Wednesday, September 9: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Thursday, September 10: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
This early testing will be done through BioReference Laboratories at the Westchester Marriott (Tarrytown Ballroom) and results will take between 12-16 hours to be returned, so you should plan to get tested at least one day prior to accessing Winged Foot Golf Club.
Winged Foot will be completely closed to essential personnel Tuesday, September 8 and Wednesday, September 9. The golf course and practice facilities will open on Thursday, September 10. Please see the player schedule for additional details.
Note: Even if you take an early arrival test on September 9 or 10, you will still need to take the test through Sanford Laboratories on September 12 to enter the championship “bubble”.
Player Services Office: 908.748.4770