Strict testing and safety protocols cornerstones of Jays’ plan for return
Backed by Ontario’s top doctor and MLB, proposal now awaits approval from Ottawa
TORONTO The Blue Jays have managed to get deep in the count in their plan to play Major League Baseball at the Rogers Centre this summer.
And now they are awaiting the money pitch.
A source familiar with the process outlined some of the strict health and safety protocols in the return-to-play plan now in front of the federal government.
The source confirmed with Postmedia that the team has received support from Ontario’s chief medical officer of Health, Dr. David Williams, for the joint JAYS-MLB proposal.
With Williams’ signoff, the plan has been moved along to Ottawa, where it is awaiting federal approval. Critical in the Jays’ document are detailed plans that demonstrate games can be held safely at the Rogers Centre, and not just for the host team.
Another important aspect to the Jays’ plan is the support of MLB in the process. The league has worked with the Jays to create a safety protocol that goes above and beyond its own detailed operations manual and essentially calls for visiting teams to operate under the same terms the Jays have during their summer camp at the Rogers Centre.
As has been reported, the Jays have also had Mayor John Tory and Toronto Public Health sign off on the plan.
Presumably well aware of the potential public backlash for making exception for visiting baseball teams to cross the Canada-u. S. border — even though the government has declared it shut through August — the Jays have several additional measures in place.
According to a source involved with the lengthy and detailed process, here are some of them:
■ Though all MLB players and personnel have been tested every other day and will continue to be for a minimum four times per week, both at home and on the road, testing will be ramped up in Toronto. To help expedite the process, testing here would include a nasal swab for increased accuracy. Players who may test positive will not be permitted to enter Canada until they clear two negative tests in a row.
■ Under the proposal, both the Jays and visiting teams will travel via private charter and buses that adhere to Public Health Agency of Canada guidelines. Under this procedure, travel will minimize contact with anyone outside of the immediate party.
■ Of note, MLB is also to the plan as the league, for a number of reasons, has always preferred Toronto as a home base for the Jays. The league has not applied pressure on the team in terms of a firm deadline to make a decision, in part for this reason.
■ As has been the case while the Jays have had summer camp here, when in Toronto, all visiting team members will live and work in a modified cohort quarantine at the Marriott hotel attached to the Rogers Centre and isolated from the general public. The plan stresses that visiting teams will be required to follow a similar process of isolation that anyone entering Canada would undergo and will not be permitted to leave the stadium footprint.
■ The Jays also acknowledge that the team’s approval to play in Toronto is contingent on both the home and visiting teams following all protocols outlined in MLB’S 176-page return-to-play plan, as well as the additional measures mentioned.
Where the plan goes from here is up to the federal government, but the fact that dialogue has been ongoing and that two other levels of government have endorsed the return-to-play plan has at least created some optimism the 30 home games will be played at the Rogers Centre.
The Jays open the season on the road in Tampa Bay on Friday with the home opener scheduled for July 27 against the World Series champion Washington Nationals.
The Jays’ plight is an important issue around baseball right now as the season rapidly approaches. Executives with the Toronto team have been in regular contact with MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, and his staff as well as the players’ association.
In the meantime, the Jays have continued to evaluate and prepare for the possibility of playing in Buffalo — home of the team’s triple-a affiliate Bisons — should federal government approval be denied.
Though there was some initial grumbling from some players about being confined to the Rogers Centre all summer, the team seems to have adapted well to its surroundings during the past two weeks of summer camp. There seems to be a recognition that over a shortened season, any personal sacrifice could be outweighed by both a competitive advantage and the safety of playing in a bubble.