Gemma Karstens-Smith
The Canadian Press
–
The league introduced a number of protocols in a bid to resume operations, including daily testing of players and staff, rules regarding physical distancing and masks, and limiting the contact that teammates might have away from. the rink.
However, documents obtained by the Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act show that health officials “strongly” recommended that the league take additional measures before giving the green light.
After receiving a draft of the NHL return-to-play protocols, health officials from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and the Public Health Agency Canada sent a joint letter to Gary Bettman on December 23, 2020 urging either to add regular testing for close player and staff contact to its protocols or to use a similar ‘bubble model’ that the league adopted in Toronto and Edmonton to complete the 2019-20 season.
“If a repeat of the bubble pattern is not feasible for the NHL, we would recommend that the start of the season be delayed by a few weeks to allow the rate of contagion to decline and our health systems to recover,” reads -on in the letter.
Health officials – including Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr Deena Hinshaw, BC Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr.r Bonnie Henry, Chief Medical Officer of Health for the Province of Manitoba, Dr.r Brent Roussin, Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health, Quebec Director of Public Health Horacio Arruda and Dr.r Howard Njoo, deputy chief public health officer at the Public Health Agency of Canada, also called for the NHL’s help to engage Canadians in preventing the transmission of COVID-19.
“The NHL is well positioned to play an important role in promoting health and safety measures essential to reduce the spread of COVID in our provinces. We would be very grateful for any leadership the NHL could provide in the early months of 2021 at a time when our collective efforts to contain the virus will be critical to sustaining our health systems across the country, ”the letter said.
Bettman responded on Dec. 24, saying the league had already incorporated comments from various Canadian public health agencies into its protocols.
“We do not believe our return to play plan poses a significant risk to the health and safety of Canadians,” his letter said.
Daily tests
Bettman noted that players, staff and coaches would be tested daily and added that the league “will do its best” to provide families and other close contacts with access to testing upon request. He added that NHL protocols had been updated to include testing for a player’s close contact for 14 days if the player tested positive for the virus.
The letter also clarified that the NHL had changed its schedule to limit how often a team travels in or out of the province, and added that adding a “reserve team” would limit cross-border travel.
“We don’t think that a ‘bubble model’ for the start of the season or a delay of several weeks before the start of the season is achievable; neither do we think they are necessary, ”said Bettman. We are confident in our ability to organize a successful return to play without using such measures by ensuring that appropriate risk mitigation measures are in place and that our staff strictly adhere to these mitigation measures. ”
The commissioner added that the league “enthusiastically welcomes” the demand by health officials to encourage Canadians to take action to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19.
“The league, our clubs and our players will be committed to taking a strong and visible role in promoting health and safety measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in your provinces,” he said.
Health officials sent another joint letter to Bettman on Dec. 25 saying they supported the return of the NHL to Canada. The league began its condensed 56-game season on January 13.
« Plan intelligent »
Overall, the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols have worked quite well, said Colin Furness, infection control epidemiologist at the University of Toronto.
“I think they had a smart plan,” he analyzed. He was not foolproof and they responded fairly responsibly. ”
Keeping the infection rate low was going to be a challenge with so many players and staff involved, especially as they travel and when they are at home, often living with people who are not subject to the same conditions. rules, Furness said.
“It’s a perfect storm,” he said. It just takes a moment of inattention and then boom. ”
The NHL released figures on June 28 showing it had administered more than 350,000 tests for COVID-19 during the season, with 119 players having received “confirmed positives.”
It would have been difficult to keep the numbers lower, said the Dr Brian Conway, head of the Vancouver Center for Infectious Disease Prevention.
Everyone has bypassed COVID-19 protocols during the pandemic, he added, and people have a false sense of security when they don’t suffer consequences like getting sick.
“The rules (of the NHL) seem to have been quite appropriate, they seem to have been applied appropriately. But you have to remember that we are dealing with human beings, ”Conway said.
The virus has forced 12 teams to go out of business during the season, postponing 55 games.
The Vancouver Canucks suffered the league’s worst outbreak in late March when an aggressive variant hit the team.
Twenty-one players and four coaches tested positive for the virus, and many exhibited symptoms such as extreme fatigue, fever, chills and shortness of breath. Relatives have also fallen ill, including women and children.
The Canucks have postponed several games and haven’t played for more than three weeks.
The Montreal Canadiens also postponed four games to the end of March after adding two players to the COVID-19 roster.
Interim head coach Dominique Ducharme also had to isolate himself after testing positive for the virus on June 19. He watched his team complete their semi-final series against the Vegas Golden Knights from home and missed the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
–