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The Toronto Blue Jays have started moving players and team personnel to Dunedin, Fla., to begin the intake screening and isolation process, the team announced Monday.
The process is the next step in the MLB’s return-to-play protocol regardless of a team’s training camp location. According to Sportsnet‘s Shi Davidi, players receive both PCR and antibody tests for COVID-19 at the intake screening.
After the intake and isolation process, the Blue Jays will either board a charter flight to Toronto or remain in Florida to conduct training. If the team travels to Toronto, the Blue Jays will begin training under a modified quarantine, isolated from the general public.
“The Blue Jays are hopeful to stage training camp and play regular season home games in Toronto and will continue to work through this possibility,” the club said in a press release.
Davidi reports that the charter flight is tentatively scheduled for Saturday. This step, Davidi says, keeps the Blue Jays from potentially losing training time as the club awaits a decision from the Canadian government about its localized return-to-play proposal.
By gathering in Dunedin, #BlueJays can get all these steps done while waiting for government decision, and be all systems go in Florida if federal government ultimately says no.
Earlier Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the Blue Jays are awaiting approval from the Canadian government on plans to use the Rogers Centre after obtaining the approval of health officials at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.
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