The Moose Jaw Warriors, Western Hockey League, Canadian Hockey League and Hockey Canada all have something in common.
They did everything they possibly could as quickly as they possibly could to try and get ahead of the COVID-19 outbreak. That included shutting down whole leagues and national championships, taking team-wide precautions to prevent the spread of the disease, and making sure to keep fans apprised of any developments as the situation continued to change on an hourly basis.
Then, on Sunday, it was revealed that two players from the Winnipeg Ice had been tested for COVID-19.
The Warriors played the Ice on Mar. 7 in Winnipeg.
This column is hypothetical. The Winnipeg players have not tested positive, no member of the Warriors has reported illness and the Warriors could be the Prince Albert Raiders, who played in Winnipeg the next night, or the Regina Pats, who hosted the Ice on Mar. 11.
But it’s an example of how something like a novel coronavirus can spread exponentially, despite the best efforts of everyone involved.
Hockey is a close-contact, hard-hitting game. If the two players from Winnipeg were playing on Mar. 7, they could have already been infected with the coronavirus and been completely asymptomatic.
According to reports, COVID-19 has an estimated incubation period of 5.1 days, with 97.5 per cent of people who develop symptoms doing so within 11.5 days of exposure.
That means it’s completely within the realm of possibility that the Warriors were exchanging body contact and quite possibly bodily fluids in form of sweat and saliva with the respective infected Winnipeg Ice players, who would have had no idea they were carrying the disease.
COVID-19 is believed to be spread mainly through surface contact, but recent studies have pointed to possible airborne vectors as well. Combine all that with the close-quarters of players being on benches during games, being literally head-to-head during face-offs and scrums, and the chance of spread grows immeasurably.
And that’s not even toughest part.
When the final whistle went on Mar. 7, the Warriors would have packed up all their gear, climbed into their bus and proceeded to spend around six hours on the highway travelling back to Moose Jaw.
That would be six hours on the road in a metal tube that, even with solid intra-vehicle air conditioning and HEPA filters, would be all but ideal for the spread and transfer of any kind of infection, let alone a virulent coronavirus.
Person-to-person transfer of a disease like COVID-19 can come many ways, with the aforementioned direct physical contact a prime one.
But how about playing cards? Maybe sharing a pair of headphones or just simply doing what anyone does on a bus for six hours? It’s easy to forget about isolation procedures when you’re spending six mind-numbing hours on the highway.
And especially easy when, as of Mar. 7, no one had any idea of just how bad things were about to get – the coronavirus was a thing across the ocean at that point, with less than 1,000 cases in the U.S. and many still of the belief that it would pass like H1N1 and SARS before it.
By Monday, that opinion had changed. And as of Thursday, the CHL had made their decision.
But for the Moose Jaw Warriors?
It could have been too late.
When the Warriors arrived back in Moose Jaw, they would have headed out to their respective billet homes and settled into their normal non-hockey routines.
Living, eating, sleeping, the usual stuff.
All the while, with the 5.1 day incubation period and 11.5 days until symptoms, the novel coronavirus could have been spreading among their families, friends and schoolmates.
Again, what could they do?
Word was getting out that COVID-19 was wildfire at this point, but there were no signs of heavy spread in North America. It was here, but it wasn’t what it was to become.
Government officials in the U.S. were voraciously downplaying it, social media was complaining about coverage being too negative and people just continued to live normal, non-social-distancing lives.
Then Wednesday and Rudy Gobert happened, and North America suddenly took things very, very seriously.
By Thursday, everything had shut down.
And also Thursday, hundreds of people could have been exposed to COVID-19 simply through contact with the Warriors, their billets, their classmates, their friends, their family, everyone even tangently involved with the team, and so on.
Thursday was also exactly five days after the game in Winnipeg. Wednesday, Mar. 18 will mark 11 days.
As of this writing on Sunday, Mar. 15, no members of the Moose Jaw Warriors or anyone in their circle have reported symptoms or even been tested for COVID-19.
And fate willing, none will.
The Moose Jaw Warriors are the example in this writing simply because the news of the two Ice players and their recent proximity to their WHL brethren made them a perfect subject.
But they’re a hockey team, with dozens of support staff watching them, caring for them and ensuring their well-being is taken care of in all situations.
Someone taking a bus from Winnipeg to Moose Jaw the same night, simply traveling to get home after visiting friends or family? They don’t have an athletic therapist, equipment manager, head coach, assistant coaches and fellow teammates watching their every move.
Same with someone flying from hard-hit areas of Canada that were all but normal a week ago.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of vectors for COVID-19.
An outbreak in this part of the world is all but inevitable, and is as easy as simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
That’s why vigilance, proper precautions and being as safe as possible in public is so important.
It’s the only way to flatten the curve, protect the most vulnerable among us.
And keep this from becoming much, much worse than it already is.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
