TORONTO (AP) – The Blue Jays will not play their Toronto home games this year as the Canadian government does not believe it is safe for gamers from the United States, one of the countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic to travel back and forth.
Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said on Saturday that the federal government had denied and confirmed the Blue Jays’ request to play at the Rogers Center, according to an Associate Press official before the announcement.
The team had received permission from the city and provincial governments to play in its home stadium and was awaiting approval from the Canadian federal government. The other 29 major league baseball teams plan to play without spectators in their home stadiums when the pandemic-shortened season begins with 60 games on July 23.
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Mendicino said the AP’s frequent trips to the US, where COVID-19 cases are increasing, are the biggest problem.
“There were serious risks if we continued with the MLB and Jays’ proposal for the regular season and concluded that it was not in the national interest,” said Mendicino. “I understand that some people will be disappointed, but this decision cannot be made as a fan. It is used in the name of Canada’s health and safety. “
The Blue Jays were informed by phone call. The home team’s alternate location is the training facility in Dunedin, Florida, which is one of the states that is a virus hotspot. The players said they preferred to play in Toronto and the team said it was in the process of establishing a home location for the season.
“From the beginning of discussions with league and government officials, the safety of the wider community – our fans – and the team has been a priority for everyone involved, and the club fully respects the federal government’s decision,” said Blue Jays President Mark Sagte Shapiro in a statement.
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“Although our team will not be playing home games at the Rogers Center this summer, our players will take the field for the 2020 season with the same pride and passion that is representative of an entire nation. We can’t wait for the day to come to play in front of our fans on Canadian soil again. “
The Blue Jays are scheduled to start the season on July 24th in Tampa Bay. Their home game was scheduled against Washington five days later.
Mendicino said the government is open to future post-season restart plans should the risk of virus transmission decrease.
“We are committed to maintaining an open line of communication with both MLB and the Toronto Blue Jays, and we will re-evaluate in due course,” he said.
MLB needed an exception to the requirement that anyone who enters Canada for non-essential reasons must isolate themselves for 14 days. The U.S.-Canada border will be closed to unnecessary travel until at least August 21.
“In Canada you saw how we flattened the curve. You have seen the number of cases decrease significantly and this is largely due to the sacrifices made by the Canadians. We can afford to step back, ”said Mendicino.
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“We think this is the right call and that this is backed up by the evidence and advice from our health professionals. And fans who still want to watch baseball can still only watch the show from another location. “
The NHL has received an exception for restarting the season, but that was a far simpler case since the games are limited to two hubs – Edmonton and Toronto.
The Blue Jays received an exemption for the summer camp, in which the players agreed to isolate themselves in the Rogers Center hotel and create a quarantine environment. Players are not allowed to leave the stadium or hotel and violations are punished with fines of up to $ 750,000 ($ 551,000) and up to six months in prison.
Toronto Mayor John Tory had campaigned with the federal government to approve the plan, but said on Saturday he understood the decision given the situation in the United States
Dr. Andrew Morris, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto and medical director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at the Sinai University Health Network, said the city and province have been wrongly pushing to play games in Canada.
“It is very clear that it is not right to have people from the United States again and again,” said Morris. “This should have been done by a decision in Toronto or by the province. It’s a little disappointing that it had to be done in Ottawa. “
