Coming back from COVID and COVID exposures

Hi Guys

Here’s our policy for coming back from a COVID case or having a COVID exposure.

COVID-19 Positive: What are the rules for return? 

You can come back to the PHN in one of these two scenarios:

1. THE 10 DAY RULE

10 days after a positive test you may return if you have NO SYMPTOMS for a minimum of 24 hours

(The Sunday before you come back you must have NO SYMPTOMS).

2. THE 5 DAYS PLUS NEGATIVE TEST RULE

You can return 5, 6, or 7 days etc. AFTER a positive test or after your first COVID symptoms under 2 conditions.

A) you have a NEGATIVE RAPID TEST 

and 

B) you have 24 hours of NO SYMPTOMS previous to return.

 (The Sunday before you come back you must have NO SYMPTOMS).

You should email a photo of that negative result to your team captain.

NO SYMPTOMS means, no cough, no congestion, no sore throat, no body aches etc.

We’re counting you guys to pay attention to how you’re feeling and be up front about the dates to look after everyone else.

** If it is less than 5 days since your first positive test or first onset of symptoms, you cannot return. **

How to get the most reliable rapid test results

The best way to do a rapid test is swab the throat first then both nostrils.

That’s how you do the best you can to make sure you are not missing the virus.

That guidance comes from multiple sources including these articles:

Please review them and swab both areas for your test. There are videos online about how to do a test.

Free tests are still available at drug stores, but you may have to call around to find stock.

This Ontario website may help you find a free test kit:

https://covid-19.ontario.ca/rapid-test-locator

And remember even a faint line in the test section is a positive for COVID.

COVID-19 Exposure: What should I do? 

If on the Friday Saturday or Sunday before our game you have had personal contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID we do not want you at the rink.  

Even if you are not sick you may be transmitting the virus.

We are talking about a known exposure.

And we want a 3 day buffer from that because Omicron is so transmissible.

We encourage players to pay close attention to headaches, sniffles, fevers, body aches and gastro issues as possible indicators of COVID and to use rapid tests if you have any of these symptoms before hockey.

You can be asymptomatic and spread the virus.  You are infectious before you have symptoms.

If you had the delta variant or a previous variant you can still get omicron.

You can get the virus even if you have three shots though your vaccination offers great protection against serious illness.

Think about everyone

The PHN is not just your teammates.  It’s their elderly relatives, their kids under 5, and their work places.

If you care about the guy beside you care about all the people he cares about.  Please keep that in mind as we work through this. 

Thanks everyone for doing your best to reduce the spread of COVID within the league.