Calgary curling bubble hit by COVID

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/04/2021 (1807 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The COVID-19 virus has finally seeped into Calgary’s curling bubble.

Positive tests have been confirmed at the world men’s curling championship, and as a result playoff games set for Saturday at WinSport Arena have been postponed.

Athletes who tested positive were asymptomatic and didn’t involve playoff teams, Curling Canada said in a statement late Friday night. Their names will remain confidential.

The U.S. was to play the Swiss at 10 a.m. CT, with the winner advancing to the semifinals later in the day — both those contests are on hold.

Canada fell 5-3 to Scotland and was eliminated from the championship, just an hour before Curling Canada made the announcement of the positive tests.

All teams that made the playoffs will undergo testing on Saturday morning, and until the results are clear and it’s known that the players and event staff are safe, no further games will be played,” said Canada’s curling federation, in a statement. “It should be noted that the asymptomatic positive tests did not involve teams that qualified for the playoffs.

Athletes who tested positive or have been in close contact with someone positive are in quarantine, and contact tracing is also underway.

The world men’s championship is the fourth major event being played without fans and with strict protocols in place. Well over 1,000 tests were administered during the Scotties women’s, Brier men’s and mixed doubles national champions, all coming back negative.

A pair of Grand Slam of Curling events and the women’s world championship are upcoming over the next month.

 

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell