It was announced on Friday that the Tampa Bay Lightning were forced to close down their training camp facilities. This comes after multiple players and staff tested positive for Covid-19. This shutdown likely delays their Phase Two plans for at least 14 days. The Tampa Bay Lightning Covid 19 scare is not the first in the league.
It’s my understanding one NHL club has had to temporarily close its training facilities during Phase Two because multiple players and some staff have tested positive for Covid-19.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 19, 2020
Tampa Bay Lightning Covid 19 Scare Forces Shut Down
Just over a week after the NHL entered Phase Two, multiple teams are being strongarmed by the pandemic. Last week, the Boston Bruins announced that multiple personnel were in quarantine, following at least one positive test. Now, there’s a similar Tampa Bay Lightning Covid 19 scare.
While little details have come out from Tampa, the league’s guidelines can be assumed. In Boston, both the player that tested positive and those within a, “contact radius” – as general manager Don Sweeney put it – were placed into quarantine. They weren’t allowed back to the Bruins training facility for at least a week. In that time, all members received multiple tests for Covid.
Surely a similar process will be followed in Tampa. With that said, local government recommendations do play a very big role in the decisions. Still, the Lightning’s Phase Two plans are notably delayed.
This shutdown has many fans worried about the NHL’s plan to return as a whole. 11 days after the league allowed teams to start optional training, two teams have come out publically with virus-related news. It seems to be the writing on the wall, with many other sports leagues experiencing the same woes. Also announced on Friday, for example, the Philadelphia Phillies of the MLB had five players and three staff test positive for the virus at their training facility in Clearwater, at least. The team is awaiting the test results of 32 others – players and staff alike – and had to close down, much like Tampa.
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