By Canadian Press

Njoo: ‘Promising’ start to health protocols for world junior hockey championship

Nov 17, 2020 | 12:18 PM

OTTAWA — Canada’s deputy chief of public health says the initial health and safety protocols proposed for the upcoming word junior hockey championship in Edmonton look “promising.”

Dr. Howard Njoo told reporters Tuesday that the “bubble” concept planned for the event, where players and team staff are isolated from the general public and fans are not permitted to attend games in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19, has seen proven success in the NHL and NBA.

Njoo added lessons learned from Edmonton’s time as one of the NHL’s hub cities can be applied to the world junior tournament.

However, Njoo said public health officials are still looking at the proposals and “a lot can happen” between now and the start of the tournament next month.

The world junior championship is scheduled to run Dec. 25 through Jan. 5. Canada’s selection began Tuesday in Red Deer, Alta., and is scheduled to run until Dec. 13.

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Canada’s international border remains closed, and those entering the country are subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. NHL teams entering Canada for the NHL’s restart underwent a modified cohort quarantine, which allowed team members to isolate together.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2020.

The Canadian Press