Raptors stay ahead of the game as COVID-19 protocols tighten

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/12/2021 (1721 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s not perfect and it’s certainly not desirable, but the Raptors fully understand that limiting the number of fans in the stands is a necessary move.

Capacity at Scotiabank Arena will be cut in half for Raptors games beginning Saturday night against the Golden State Warriors — a game that would normally attract one of the loudest and most boisterous audiences of the season — and continue for the foreseeable future.

It will dampen the mood and lower the volume, but they hope it will also lead to a safer existence for everyone.

“I think it’s a little bittersweet. We were lucky to have fans back, we were lucky to kind of go back to the way things were, but obviously we’ve got to put the health and safety first,” Raptors guard Fred VanVleet said Thursday. “So we’ll fall in line with whatever that means … I’m sure there’ll be bumps in the road at some point, but just try to do everything in our favour and our power to give ourselves the best chance to stay healthy and stay above board.”

Still, there’s predictable disappointment about not being able to play in front of nearly 20,000 fans as the Raptors are used to.

“Everybody’s got a moment of balancing out being disappointed, because you want things to stay the way they are, or improve, and they’re just not right now,” coach Nick Nurse said. “Common sense prevails always … Hopefully we learned some lessons of keeping our focus and our head down and working, and being vigilant and getting ready to play the game.

“The game’s still there to be played and we need do our best, most professional job with that.”

ESPN reported Thursday night that the NBA and players have agreed to enhanced health and safety procedures from Boxing Day to Jan. 8, including daily testing. Masks will be mandatory for players, coaches and staff on the bench, in the locker room, during weight training and while travelling.

The Raptors saw it coming, and wanted to get ahead of it.

“We’ve had to kind of go back, revamp our protocols to where they are at heightened levels,” Nurse said. “I think we’ve done an incredibly good job with that without even maybe being told to do so.

“We’ve been maybe a few days ahead of that, and we’ve been doing all the extensive double testing and testing before we’re allowed to enter the building, all those kinds of things from when it was at its most stringent.

“Yeah, your first reaction is ‘Ah, more testing.’ And you get over that … and realize that you’re doing the right thing.”

The Raptors are no strangers to the ravages COVID-19 can bring; their season in Tampa began circling the drain when a majority of the coaching staff and roster was sidelined for weeks. But they also know there is a responsibility to protect others, which is the main goal of all the protocols being put in place.

“I think from my standpoint, it’s just about being able to sleep at night knowing that I’m doing everything the right way,” VanVleet said. “So if there’s an outbreak or something happens, then it just happened and not from me doing something that I know directly contributed to it … the team and our medical staff, they do an unbelievable job. The players and the staff have been doing a great job of just following the rules. We’ve just got to continue to do that and hope for the best.”

Doug Smith is a sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @smithraps