Maple Leafs and Senators won’t have fans in the seats until mid-February
The Ontario government has released its plan for reopening from the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
Premier Doug Ford announced on Thursday that Ontario will reopen in three different three-week phase
The first phase, which begins on Jan. 31, will see loosened restrictions for select indoor settings. The second phase, which is scheduled for February 21, will permit spectator capacity at sporting events to 50 percent. Finally, the third phase, which is scheduled for March 14 if conditions permit, will see all capacity limits lifted.
This is Ontario’s slow and ponderous reopening plan.
It will be attacked by the COVID Zero crowd as going too fast.
The truth is it is slower and more cautious than it needs to be. #onpoli #COVID19Ontario pic.twitter.com/Vp1PIJxzqA
This means that neither the Toronto Maple Leafs nor the Ottawa Senators will have spectators until the beginning of the second phase on Feb. 21. Also, neither Ontario team will be able to operate at full capacity until March 21, assuming all goes according to plan.
The Leafs have five home dates scheduled between now and the beginning of the second phase while the Senators will have to play eight games without fans in attendance. Both teams have currently played only one home game without fans.
The NHL postponed a handful of games hosted by Canadian teams in January due to capacity restrictions across Canada with the hope of rescheduling them later in the season when more fans are able to attend. The NHL released its revised schedule on Wednesday, filling what was previously a 16-day break for the Olympics in Beijing.