Sports in Manitoba allowed to continue while in-person learning put on pause

The extension of Manitoba’s public health orders has some questioning why sports and recreation activities are being allowed to go ahead with students learning remotely next week.

The extension of Manitoba’s public health orders has some questioning why sports and recreation activities are being allowed to go ahead with students learning remotely next week.

It’s a question many are asking, including some parents, as public health officials urge people to limit their close contacts.

Keri D’Avignon-Nault, a parent and manager of two hockey teams in Ile des Chenes, said with cases of the contagious Omicron variant surging and hospitalizations rising parents and organizers are in a difficult position.

“People are concerned for their kids’ health, people are concerned about whether we should be playing hockey but there’s no school,” D’Avignon-Nault said in an interview. “And we’ve been trying to have conversations about whether we should be continuing with games, or forfeiting, or what that should look like.”

Tournaments are banned but the province is allowing indoor and outdoor sports and recreation to continue with proof of immunization or confirmation of a recent negative test result from a pharmacy for 12 to 17-year-olds. Everyone 18 and over needs to be fully vaccinated.

However, in the Interlake, league play has been postponed for one week.

“We’re just trying to do what we can to make sure that everybody’s still safe,” said Dave Underwood, director of the Interlake Minor Hockey Association.