NHL Players Asked to Self-Quarantine in the City Where They Play
By baggedmilk
4 years agoAccording to an article written by Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, NHL players are being asked to not only self-quarantine but also to remain in the city in which they play, though, that’s not quite as simple as it may seem.
There’s no doubt that we all want hockey to return, but how that actually looks in practice still remains unclear. In an attempt to do what they can do get the 2019-20 season back on the rails soon as they possibly (safely) can, the NHL is trying to minimize any exposure to COVID-19 that players may face by getting them to remain indoors in their NHL city. From the article, Bill Daly explained:
In addition to self-quarantining, players are being told to stay close to their home NHL cities. In fact, a memo went out Saturday requiring any member of a Canadian team that left for the U.S. to return immediately so that they can serve their government-mandated quarantine expeditiously.
Daly added that this is the league’s request:
For their own protection in avoiding potential at a very high-risk time. And to give us an opportunity to assess the overall health of the NHL community.
One of the complicated parts of this plan involves any/all players that may have already gone home after the season was suspended because their return flights are at a real risk of being cancelled unexpectedly. According to Johnston, there is no official count on how many players may have already left (estimates are 20-30) which is undoubtedly causing problems with the league’s hope of keeping everyone in check and nearby. As a result, players that are in their NHL cities are being asked to self-quarantine regardless of where they’re from or where they spend time in the offseason. And for those who aren’t?
According to yesterday’s message from the Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne, getting back to the city where these guys play could get more difficult and quickly:
Airlines have cancelled flights. New restrictions may be imposed with little warning. Your travel plans may be severely disrupted and you may be forced to remain outside of Canada longer than expected.
These are strange days, friends, and all we can do is wait. Stay safe, everybody.
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