Barrie minor hockey games cancelled amid rising COVID-19 cases
The increasing COVID-19 case counts across Simcoe Muskoka are impacting the hockey world again, as the York Simcoe Minor Hockey League announces game cancellations over the holidays.
Effective at midnight, all regular season rep games are to be shut down until Jan. 3, or "until otherwise notified," the association stated on its website Tuesday.
The league includes the Barrie Minor Hockey Association (BMHA) and teams in Orillia, Innisfil, Bradford, New Tecumseth, and Newmarket.
Practices will continue as scheduled, and the BMHA said it would wait for direction from the York Simcoe Minor Hockey League for any upcoming tournaments that were scheduled over the holidays.
"We will allow all upcoming house league games and practices to proceed as scheduled along with select practices," the BMHA website noted.
Meanwhile, Ontario Minor Hockey Association president Bob Hill issued an online letter reminding everyone of the "importance of following the safety measures" as COVID-19 cases climb.
On Tuesday, the Simcoe Muskoka health unit reported nearly 100 new COVID-19 cases, plus 37 active outbreaks, most in schools.
"Our protocols have limited the number of shutdowns among our teams thus far," Hill stated online. "We've done a good job so far and want to continue to do so for the remainder of the hockey season."
The OMHA's president made no mention in his letter Tuesday about the BMHA cancellations.
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