The NHL announced they have instructed their players and staff to extend self quarantine for another 10 days to continue to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The news of the extension broke today following a call with senior league officials and general managers. Teams had initially been asked to self-quarantine through Friday, but will now remain in isolation at home until April 6.
At this time only two NHL players, both from the Ottawa Senators, have tested positive for COVID-19. The league would like to eventually reopen facilities for small group workouts if the situation allows. This training camp period would proceed a resumption of play.
On March 16, the league stated its plan to “provide high-level guidance on the potential of opening a training camp period roughly 45 days” into a 60-day window provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where it advised against holding gatherings larger than 50 people.
The 45-day marker arrives on April 30 and will be used as a check-in time to see if there is enough information to determine a timeline for training camp, according to deputy commissioner Bill Daly.
NHL
This news comes on the heels of the NHL announcing its office staff members will experience a 25 percent pay cut due to the lack of revenue coming into the league during this time. The NHL says the pay cuts are to prevent layoffs.
The NHL’s goal is to complete this season, play all 189 regular season games remaining on the calendar and still award a Stanley Cup without impacting the 2020-21 season.
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