WATERLOO, Ont. — The men’s playoff round at a curling bonspiel was cancelled Sunday after a player received a notification from the COVID Alert app.
The app notifies a person when they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Gerry Guerts, the organizer of the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard, said in a statement Sunday that all participants were required to download the COVID Alert app before the competition to provide “an extra layer of security for the players.”
“While no player has tested positive, we did receive an alert on their COVID Alert app that they had been in contact with a positive case,” Guerts said. “Under protocols, this player will self-isolate, and the entire team will receive a test to ensure there was no spread.”
Olympic gold medallist Brad Jacobs, whose rink was among the men’s teams supposed to compete in playoff action the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard, tweeted about the cancellation Sunday afternoon.
“We agree this is the right decision for the safety of everyone involved,” the Team Jacobs Twitter account said.
Curling is slowly resuming play around the world in a season that remains in flux due to the global pandemic. Several top events have been postponed or cancelled with 2021 competitions tentative at best.
The Stu Sells Oakville Tankard is a bonspiel that would normally draw a top-flight international field.
This year’s competition, which was moved to nearby Waterloo since the regular host club has yet to reopen, was limited to a domestic field with most players from Ontario.
Jacobs was to play Jason Camm in one semifinal while Rob Ainsley was playing Robert Desjardins in another. A consolation final between Greg Inglis and Sam Steep was also to be played Sunday afternoon.
The women’s playoffs went on as planned Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2020.
The Canadian Press
