Starting Feb. 4, the NHL will no longer require asymptomatic players to get tested for COVID-19.
Posted at 5:56 p.m.
Updated at 6:33 p.m.
The NHL and the Players Association made the announcement in a statement released Tuesday evening. The new protocol, however, still needs to be reviewed and approved by their respective medical experts by January 31.
In any case, the current protocol remains in place until February 3, just before the break of the All-Star Game, which will take place in Vegas. Then, the new measures will come into effect “provided that positive tests continue to decrease across the League”.
From then on, fully vaccinated players and staff, including those taking part in the All-Star Game, will no longer need to be tested, unless needed for cross-border travel or if they develop symptoms.
After the All-Star Game, those who took part in it will need to be tested only once before returning to their respective organization’s facilities.
Moreover, as was already the case so far, players who have already had COVID-19 will not have to undergo a test within 90 days of leaving the protocol. If symptoms appear during this period, the team doctor may nevertheless decide to require the player to take a test.
The NHL also clarifies that post-COVID testing for cross-border travel will be dictated by “the relevant health authority.”
According to what reports Frank Seravalli, of the site Daily Faceoff, 73% of Bettman Tour players have tested positive this season. Of the batch, 60% received it within the last five weeks.
On Dec. 29, the NHL and the Players’ Association announced a change to their protocol to reduce the length of isolation for a player, coach or staff member who receives a positive test result to five days rather than ten. However, the health and safety rules applicable in the various jurisdictions continued to prevail.
This way of doing “seems to work well in its current form”, we noted on this subject on Tuesday. Thus, there will be no modification on this side.