After positive COVID-19 test, what precautions are in place for Coyotes?
If you ask Coyotes President of Hockey Operations and General Manager John Chayka, he’ll tell you the NHL’s return-to-play protocol is as exhaustive as it is necessary.
The NHL issued a 30-page document to teams in May detailing what is called “Phase 2” of the return-to-play effort. The precautions — which include frequent testing, a limited number of present players and staff, as well as strict symptom testing — were designed to “eliminate any possibility of an infection occurring,” Chayka said.
However, that didn’t stop the Coyotes from experiencing their first positive COVID-19 test over the weekend.
“Obviously players and staff are still part of greater society,” Chayka said. “This isn’t a bubble system we’re in. The possibility of infection arising is always a risk.”
According to a statement issued by the team, the individual, identified only as a “staff member,” was asymptomatic and isolating at home. Chayka declined to distinguish whether or not this person was a player.
As of this writing, the Coyotes had not announced any other positive cases.
The Coyotes are not the only organization with a positive case. The Boston Bruins announced Friday that an unnamed player had tested positive. The Pittsburgh Penguins did the same on June 4. Back in April, four players from the Ottawa Senators and three from the Colorado Avalanche were also confirmed as COVID-19 patients.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told ESPN on Monday that “an isolated case or a couple of isolated cases shouldn’t interfere with the plans and we should be able to move forward,” but “if you have a major outbreak, it’s going to change everything.”
Despite the positive test, the Coyotes are proceeding with Phase 2 under the direction of the NHL’s protocol. Chayka said around three groups are currently rotating through Gila River Arena for work on and off the ice. Groups of players can consist of no more than six individuals and strict distancing guidelines are in place.
Chayka added there are other players currently going through the steps necessary to get back on the ice, which can include a self-quarantining period for those returning to Arizona from high-risk areas.
For those not participating in the voluntary workouts, Chayka said players who are currently not in Arizona have the option to contact an NHL club in their area and participate in their Phase 2 protocol.
No players from other NHL clubs are currently participating in the Coyotes’ program, Chayka said.
Chayka added that players also have the option to work out at home or at private training facilities, especially if they are neither in Arizona nor in a market near an NHL club.
A more formal training camp, dubbed “Phase 3” by the NHL, is expected to begin July 10. If all goes as planned, games would follow in the form of a 24-team expanded postseason format that would include the Coyotes.
Chayka said the Coyotes are aware of the continuous spike in COVID-19 cases in Arizona — which also reached highs in ICU bed use and emergencyroom visits on Monday — and said players and staff went through an education seminar prior to the start of Phase 2.
“We understand that the society you live in is certainly reflective of some of the risks that are out there,” Chayka said. “Having said that, as long as you’re controlling what you can, hopefully that eliminates some of the environmental risk, so to speak.”