By Roland Lavallee

Gov. McKee decreed in a 12/15/21 COVID briefing that venues seating 250 or more must require the use of masks, regardless of vaccination status.

I am a Providence Bruins Black Level Member (as I’ve been for years) for the 2021-22 season which grants me an assigned seat for 20 games plus some free nights.  Six of my chosen nights will fall in the 30 day period where Gov. McKee has deemed it unsafe for me to attend or be around others for those games unless I wear a mask.   For unnoted reasons, I cannot comply,  nor would I comply with either.

I sent an email to my Providence Bruins ticket agent on 12/15/21 that I would not be able to attend and wanted to be compensated for those six January games.  My schedule for the rest of the year is filled and therefore cannot request my tickets be moved to other nights.

As you read the following, please keep in mind that their organization has no recourse but to follow the governor’s executive order for the 30 day hamstringing of the Rhode Island citizens and businesses.  In fact as a measure of good PR, they offered to follow up with me in a few weeks so please understand this isn’t an attack on the Providence Bruins by any measure.

I received a call this morning, 12/16/2021, from a high level member of the ticketing staff for the Providence Bruins.  They are not able to compensate me for those lost games and would have to cancel the balance of the season in total, meaning, I lost my reserved seat and would open it up to anyone who wanted to buy a membership or single game(s).

It occurred to me during the conversation to ask if I couldn’t attend those games for reasons other than the governor’s mandate, such as; hospitalization, unforeseen travel, extended illness, would they be able to compensate me under those circumstances without the need to cancel my season.   If I recall, there was a different answer but an inconclusive answer to that question.  My objective gut feeling was it might be treated differently.

This knee jerking, parroting action similar to New York Gov. Hochul by Gov. McKee is causing issues with larger venues that will host Christmas and New Year’s parties along with weddings and other festive occasions that will now have consequences for businesses that do not fully comply with masking and/or proof of vaccination status.

While my tale of woe concerning the cancellation of my Black Level Membership for the Providence Bruins might pale in comparison, I am an example of government overreach that dictates through fiat that I must either comply or be deleted from public view.  Make no mistake, I am not an unintended consequence of the governor’s order.  It is willful intent that the public either comply or lose out of our freedoms – and our season tickets!