CFL.ca
TORONTO — The Canadian Football League has released the following statement on Sunday night:
“The Canadian Football League is postponing this Thursday’s game in Toronto between the Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Elks after receiving word earlier today that a number of Elks players have tested positive for COVID-19. This is in keeping with the standard of care for COVID-19 and professional sport. It also reflects our desire to put the health and safety of our players, coaches and staff – as well as public health – above all other considerations.
The Elks will not practice or travel until our Chief Medical Officers and public health officials have assured us it is safe for them to do so. All of the Elks’ Tier One personnel, including players, coaches and support staff will now be subjected to an enhanced testing protocol which includes isolation.
The Elks’ most recent opponent, the BC Lions, will participate in an enhanced protocol and will be monitored closely this week. Upon review with our Chief Medical Officers, we do not believe the Lions were exposed to a high risk of infection. The league is now working to reschedule the game between the Elks and the Argonauts.
We know this is disappointing news for CFL fans, but we are confident they will overwhelmingly support our decision to put safety first.”
The Elks released the following statement on Monday afternoon:
“The Edmonton Elks would like to thank the Canadian Football League for their continued support, as we collectively work through the challenges presented by multiple Elks players testing positive for COVID-19 over the weekend. We continue to work with the CFL on rescheduling options for our game against the Toronto Argonauts.
While finding a new date for our game in Toronto is important, it comes secondary to the health and safety of our players, coaches, and staff. Our Elks medical staff is working diligently in collaboration with the CFL’s Chief Medical Officers and public health officials to ensure we are taking all the steps necessary to ensure our collective health. Enhanced testing is ongoing to make sure our team is healthy and we can return to play when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, we are preparing virtually for our next game.
We continue to have conversations internally on how we can make improvements in mitigating our risk moving forward. We are committed to taking every step necessary in this regard, which will ultimately allow us to make Edmonton and our fans proud on the field.”
