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Ontario Hockey League: Players must have full COVID vaccination

The Ontario Hockey League will require all players to have two COVID shots 14 days before training camp opens in September.

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The league’s new mandatory policy applies to all players, coaches, support staff, officials, volunteers and billet families, except family members too young for vaccination. It was put in place because hockey’s close contact makes it tough to socially distance and reduces effectiveness of masking and other virus safety protocols.

“This goes to the very principle of protecting the health and welfare of our players,” OHL commissioner David Branch said Tuesday.

“It’s been an evolutionary process of how we have all dealt with the pandemic. Arguably, the most important development is the vaccine. It’s the instrument by which we can hope we can all arrive, not just at the rink but in society, to be able to return to some normalcy in our daily lives.”

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Failure to adhere to the policy will see players removed from the roster, staffers put on unpaid leave and volunteers’ and billets’ involvement ended until the pandemic is declared over or COVID no longer poses a significant public health risk.

The policy does not cover fans.

“Spectators really aren’t under our purview and the majority of our facilities are municipally owned,” Branch said. “Our teams are working with the municipalities and public health units. They will determine what is necessary in terms of dealing with spectators and the vaccine.”

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