Patrick Johnston: B.C.'s 50-person limit makes it tough for Canucks to host fans
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The Province Hockey
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The Canucks could play as many as 28 home games this season, but may have a difficult getting fans into Rogers Arena due to COVID-19 restrictions Now that we know most people in this province won’t be vaccinated against COVID-19 until the end of the summer, when you read the B.C. Restart Plan it’s difficult to see how there will be fans cheering on the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena at any point in the 2020-21 NHL season. The plan, first released in May and updated in November, seems clear.
Only when at least one of three things occurs in B.C. will we move to Phase 4: either there’s widespread vaccination (current estimates suggest this won’t be until the end of the summer), the community develops broad immunity through infections (the imminent arrival of vaccines has ruled out this chance, which would have been a disaster anyway) or broad successful treatments are developed (none yet).
The NHL has been hopeful for months that they’d be able to have some fans in the stands in some arenas this season, but as the COVID-19 situation has worsened in most parts of North America, how likely that is remains unclear. The NBA had hoped to open its season later this month with some fans in the stands, but most teams have yet to release any formal plans.
That is one of the ones that have been closed under a public health order and it would be last on my list to consider for reopening at this point because we know that type of environment is a closed environment — an inside environment,” she said then.
In the end, it’s worth nothing that while Henry is never a fan of speculating on what-if scenarios, in her April comments she did leave the door open to a future with limited reopenings: “I would have to be convinced that there is a valid reason and a safe way to do it and I think that is something for further down the line.”
Only when at least one of three things occurs in B.C. will we move to Phase 4: either there’s widespread vaccination (current estimates suggest this won’t be until the end of the summer), the community develops broad immunity through infections (the imminent arrival of vaccines has ruled out this chance, which would have been a disaster anyway) or broad successful treatments are developed (none yet).
The NHL has been hopeful for months that they’d be able to have some fans in the stands in some arenas this season, but as the COVID-19 situation has worsened in most parts of North America, how likely that is remains unclear. The NBA had hoped to open its season later this month with some fans in the stands, but most teams have yet to release any formal plans.
That is one of the ones that have been closed under a public health order and it would be last on my list to consider for reopening at this point because we know that type of environment is a closed environment — an inside environment,” she said then.
In the end, it’s worth nothing that while Henry is never a fan of speculating on what-if scenarios, in her April comments she did leave the door open to a future with limited reopenings: “I would have to be convinced that there is a valid reason and a safe way to do it and I think that is something for further down the line.”