Jason La Rose
While selecting the players who will wear the Maple Leaf at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship is the main focus at Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Selection Camp, there is a tremendous amount of effort being put towards ensuring players and staff are safe during their 28-day stay in Red Deer, Alta.
To that end, Hockey Canada has put a COVID-19 compliance officer in place, who will be the point person for all testing and test results, as well as ensuring protocols are being followed from the start of camp through the end of the World Juniors.
So what do those protocols look like, and what does the overall COVID-19 plan include?
Let’s answer a few questions…
What COVID-19 protocols will be in place for selection camp?
Hockey Canada has been working closely with representatives from the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship and Alberta Health to ensure all provincial guidelines are adhered to and that all protocols provide the utmost safety to participants and the general public. In an effort to reduce the risk of COVID-19, camp protocols go above and beyond what is required based on current provincial guidelines. Protocols and key preventative measures are in place for all Hockey Canada staff and athletes, as well as anyone who will potentially come in contact with the team.
What are ‘key preventative measures’?
These include what have become the basics of COVID-19 prevention – social distancing, avoiding touching the face, frequent handwashing, no large gatherings, no spitting or handshakes, etc. Players will be given their own marked water bottles and towels, which will be washed after each practice and game.
Are players being asked to quarantine before arriving at camp?
Prior to camp, players and staff will take a COVID-19 test through private testing that Hockey Canada has organized. Tests will be conducted three days prior to camp, with results the day before travel. Once the test is conducted, players and staff have been asked to quarantine as much as possible leading up to travel day. In order to travel to camp, each participant must return a negative test result.
How often will players and staff be tested?
Once players and staff have arrived at camp, they will be tested every 3-4 days. They will also undergo a daily symptom screening process.
What happens if a player or staff need to leave the bubble for any reason during camp?
Should a player or staff member need to leave the bubble, they must take a COVID-19 test with a negative result in order to re-enter.
What happens in the case of a positive test?
If someone falls ill or returns a positive test, they will immediately go into isolation and in-depth processes that have been developed will help guide the medical and management teams to take swift and decisive actions based on the scenario.
When will masks be worn?
All players and staff will be required to wear protective masks while indoors and in public spaces, except while eating and during physical activity, including all on-ice sessions. Everyone will be provided three Bauer masks upon arrival in Red Deer, which will be laundered daily. Coaches and team staff must wear masks on the bench.
What protocols are in place following selection camp?
Canada’s National Junior Team will move from Red Deer to Edmonton on Dec. 13. Once arriving in the Alberta capital, the team will quarantine for four full days before beginning its pre-tournament preparations on Dec. 18.