550 health care workers invited to attend Monday night’s Game 7 between Leafs and Canadiens, Premier Doug Ford says
Call it an about-faceoff.
A day after saying no to allowing a limited number of fans at Monday night's Game 7 playoff showdown between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, Premier Doug Ford said public health officials have given clearance for 550 fully vaccinated health care workers at Scotiabank Arena.
Ford said it's a small token of appreciation" for the heroic sacrifices" of health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, putting their lives and safety on the line to help others.
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is covering the cost of the tickets and providing jerseys to each of the health care workers - hoping, of course, they will all cheer for the home team which gave up a 3-1 lead in the series after losing the last two games in overtime.
I can't think of a better way to support the blue and white in this crucial game than having our health care heroes cheer them on in person," Ford said in a statement. Go Leafs go!"
The fans will include a mixture of hospital and nursing home staff.
Sources said the move followed heavy lobbying by Maple Leaf Sports after 2,500 fans were allowed at Game 6 in Montreal on Saturday night.
This is well below the arena's capacity," Ford said of the crowd size.
With these health care workers having received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine at least two weeks ago, and with precautionary measures in place like screening, masking, enhanced cleaning and crowd control, public health officials are confident we can put these special fans in the stands safely and with minimal risk," he added.
Discussions were held with outgoing chief medical officer Dr. David Williams, Toronto Public Health and hospital partners.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown had urged the province to allow 2,500 vaccinated health care and essential workers to attend the game.
Quebec allowed fans in following a steady decline in COVID-19 case counts.
Ontario's decision comes with the province under a stay-at-home order lifting later this week and non-essential businesses closed to in-person shopping. Ford's reopening plan updated last week doesn't allow for fans at indoor sports or recreational facilities until Phase 3, which likely won't come until late July.
The threshold for reaching that stage is 70 to 80 per cent of Ontario adults with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 25 per cent fully vaccinated, along with a downward trend in infection and hospitalization levels. As of Sunday, almost 70 per cent have one shot and 5.8 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @robferguson1