By Canadian Press

NHL, players’ association announces new changes to COVID-19 protocol

Jan 31, 2022 | 8:37 PM

The National Hockey League and its players’ association announced new changes to its COVID-19 protocol, including a removal of daily tests for the fully vaccinated.

The league says the new rules will come into effect for each team immediately following that club’s last game before the All-Star break.

It adds that the new regulations are in place alongside local, state, provincial and federal health laws.

The new protocols also include updated recommendations for masks, the removal of the requirement to test close contacts, and updated requirements for in-area gatherings such as family spaces and on-ice ceremonies.

The NHL says it has worked closely with the NHL Players’ Association in coming up with the rules.

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The NHL says the new rules are in part due to the high positivity rate of COVID-19 from Dec. 2021 to mid-Jan. 2022 and the declining rate since then.

It adds that the protocols cannot reduce all of the risk of the virus and says they may be changed in the future.

The changes to the COVID-19 protocol further contain a recommendation to receive booster vaccines as they become available, steps to reduce community exposure, the removal of “enhanced measures” and reverting to the start-of-season protocol.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2021.

The Canadian Press