Flames have 18 players in town, the rest by Monday along with the taxi squad.

[EVERLAST]

I for one am grateful to all the players, the NHL , the BOG and broadcasting that we can watch hockey soon.

To all the staff of the hotels and families who will also sacrifice missing loved ones likely getting locked down just so we can conclude the season.

Great sacrifices made all as a result of this terrible virus gone wrong. Wow.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by timbit

Nope...It’s because they’re considered “essential employees”.

You seem confident in a brusque correction of Freeway, please feel free to elaborate

I recall news that the US made that designation, but that was not the Canadian government, in anything I have read - are you sure it applies to Canada?

What happened in Canada as far as I understand is that travel for work is considered non-discretionary, and therefore allowed. People who must travel for work are subject to isolation requirements.

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-heal...restrictions_1

What the NHL negotiated was an exemption for 14 day individual isolation, a cohort quarantine proposal

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl...city-1.5619370

[lazypucker]

Are hotel staff, arena workers, and bus drivers, etc. included in the bubble as well?

I guess if they are just ancillary people to the NHL, the league won't care about them...

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by lazypucker

Are hotel staff, arena workers, and bus drivers, etc. included in the bubble as well?

I guess if they are just ancillary people to the NHL, the league won't care about them...

Yes they are included in the bubble and will all be tested daily. I don't know if they are able to go to their homes or whether they will be living on site during the playoff tournament.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by lazypucker

Are hotel staff, arena workers, and bus drivers, etc. included in the bubble as well?

I guess if they are just ancillary people to the NHL, the league won't care about them...

Some are. Most aren't.

Here are the groups. Only those in Groups 1 & 2 will be required to stay within the bubble at all times, staying at the secure hotels. People in Groups 3-5 will not be required to stay at the secure hotels, but are supposed to limit their activities outside the bubble to minimize any potential outside exposure:

Group 1 (players and those with direct access to the players)

• Players
• Club Personnel
• On-Ice Officials
• NHL Hygiene Officer
• Club Compliance Officers
• Locker Room Attendants
• Locker Room Security
• Facility Compliance Staff
• Hotel Conference Service Managers
• Worldfeed Microphone Staff
• Event Level NHL Staff (social media, tech ops, penalty box officials, communications, hockey ops, DPS, NHL Studios)
• NHL Staff
• NHLPA Staff
• NHL Event Medical Director
• RT-PCR Testing Company

Group 2 (people with core business functions, but little to no direct contact with anyone in Group 1)

• Off-Ice Officials (other than penalty box officials and ATC)
• Credentials
• Certain Hotel Staff with close contact with Groups 1 & 2
• Event Coverage Medical Staff (Ortho, Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician, Emerg. Med Physician, Dentist or Oral Surgeon)

Group 3 (people with potential for repeated short duration contact with people in Groups 1 & 2)

• Perimeter Security
• Event Coverage Medical Staff (EMT, X-ray technician, Neuropsychologist)
• Hotel Bartenders
• Food Servers
• Banquet Server Captains
• Ice Crew

Group 4 (people with limited or short duration contact with people in Groups 1, 2, or 3)

• Arena Food & Beverage
• PA Announcer & Game Presentation
• Hotel Housekeeping
• Hotel Kitchen and Prep Staff
• Transportation staff

Group 5 (people with no exposure to the other groups)

• Third party vendors (set-up only)
• Other arena staff
• Other Hotel staff
• Fire marshal/police
• Media

Whether they're living inside the bubble or not, everyone will be required to undergo daily temperature and symptom checks. Everyone except those in Group 5 will require daily swab tests.

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by EVERLAST

I for one am grateful to all the players, the NHL , the BOG and broadcasting that we can watch hockey soon.

To all the staff of the hotels and families who will also sacrifice missing loved ones likely getting locked down just so we can conclude the season.

Great sacrifices made all as a result of this terrible virus gone wrong. Wow.

Plus they managed to extend the CBA all the way to 2026.

Knock on wood, but it seems like the NHL and NHLPA have handled this whole thing quite well.

The fans seem to be the real winners, for now.

[djsFlames]

Definitely empathize with all the staff that have to make unusual sacrifices to help see this carried out, even if half of them are edmontonians. The people testing and cleaning and doing the accommodation routines are the heroes in all this. There's a lot being asked of you and none of that is lost on the fans everywhere tuning in. Nothing but gratitude that we get this welcomed dose of normality for a couple months in hugely adverse time and situation.