Blue Jays propose return to Rogers Centre

When will the Blue Jays return home to Toronto? It’s a question that’s loomed over the organization for nearly two seasons now, and a question that none of Major League Baseball’s other 29 clubs have had to deal with.

The Blue Jays have officially proposed a July 30 return to the Canadian federal government, and hope to receive their answer soon with that date quickly approaching. This is the day that the organization has been building towards, and the club is confident that it's now finally possible to do so in a safe manner.

Rogers Centre has sat empty through the 2020 and ’21 seasons, with the COVID-19 pandemic closing the Canada-US border to all non-essential travel. The Blue Jays held their Summer Camp in Toronto last July, with players operating under strict protocols, but the Canadian federal government has not granted them permission to play any of their regular-season games in Toronto since.

Today, the Blue Jays shared information from their proposal to the federal government, which begins with the following points they’ve put forth regarding Major League Baseball’s health and safety protocols and vaccination rates:

• Over the past two seasons, the league’s COVID-19 protocols have been extremely effective and in the rare event that a positive case has occurred, the league has demonstrated the ability to contain the virus, including no instances of on-field transmission.

• More than 200,000 COVID-19 monitoring tests have been conducted since the start of the 2021 season, resulting in a 0.03% positivity rate.

• MLB has extremely high vaccination rates, with more than 85% of players and personnel across the league being fully vaccinated.

• Significant efforts have been made by the league and teams to provide education, access and incentives to increase vaccination rates.

Getting more specific to the Canadian border restrictions, the Blue Jays have also laid out plans for how vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals will be handled. These proposals will apply to both the Blue Jays’ players and personnel and any visiting teams.

Under this proposal, those who are fully vaccinated would enter Canada in the same way that Canadian citizens currently do, by showing their proof of vaccination along with a negative COVID-19 test. This would exempt them from quarantine, and those individuals would also undergo “weekly testing.”

Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals would need to adhere to a “modified 14-day quarantine” upon entering Canada. They would only be permitted to leave their place of residence to take part in “baseball activities” at Rogers Centre.

On July 16, the province of Ontario will move into “Step Three” of its reopening plan, which comes slightly ahead of schedule as COVID-19 rates and vaccination rates both continue to trend in far more encouraging directions. This stage of reopening will allow for outdoor gatherings of up to 100 people, indoor gatherings of up to 25 people, indoor dining and more.

Included in this stage is also permission for “indoor sports and recreational fitness facilities” to open at 50 percent capacity up to a maximum of 1,000 people. The maximum capacity for outdoor spectators, however, is 75 percent capacity up to a maximum of 15,000 people. The return of fans to Rogers Centre would be part of these ongoing negotiations between the Blue Jays and all levels of government, but Rogers Centre’s retractable roof could be beneficial here.

The Blue Jays are hoping to have their answer from the federal government very soon, given how much work would lie ahead to move the club’s operations from Sahlen Field in Buffalo, N.Y., to Toronto in time for July 30, when they begin a 10-game homestead against Kansas City, Cleveland and Boston.

Beyond July 30, the Blue Jays’ next homestead begins on Aug. 20 against Detroit.