Blue Jays get OK to return home

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have received approval from top Canadian health officials with one last sign-off required by the country’s immigration minister for an exemption on border restrictions that would allow them to play in Canada later this month, an official familiar with the talks said Friday.

The Blue Jays asked the federal government to allow them to play at Rogers Centre starting July 30 and wanted a response by Friday.

An official confirmed the minister of immigration has the file and planned to make an announcement soon. The official spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The Blue Jays were expecting to get an answer on Friday.

The Blue Jays played home games during the shortened 2020 season in Buffalo, New York, and started this season in Dunedin, Florida, before moving to Buffalo. The Canadian government didn’t allow the team to play in Toronto because of the risk of spreading COVID-19, citing frequent travel required in the U.S. during a baseball season.

The U.S.-Canada border remains closed to nonessential travel, though Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week those restrictions could end in mid-August.

Major League Baseball requires an exemption for unvaccinated players and team staff to play games in Canada. As of this month, fully vaccinated players who have valid work permits are no longer required to complete a 14-day quarantine upon entry into Canada, but some teams have players who are not vaccinated. A quarantine exemption and protocols around that need to be approved.

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