The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced a pause in league activities on Tuesday that will last until at least Jan. 7 "in light of the recent increases of COVID-19 cases in Eastern Canada."
Postponed games will be rescheduled at a later date.
— QMJHL (@QMJHL) December 21, 2021
The league says it is currently working on updated protocols, including preventive testing prior to the return of players and staff, who will report back to their teams on Jan. 3.
The schedule is slated to resume on Jan. 7, with postponed games to be rescheduled "at a later date." The league was initially scheduled to return from its holiday break on Dec. 28.
The Quebec government announced Monday that spectators would not be allowed to attend sports events starting on Monday night because of the COVID-19 surge.
The move was one of several announced by the government after a pandemic-record 4,571 cases were reported in the province on Monday.
The announcement was made with the Montreal Canadiens already shut down through Christmas. The Canadiens' next home game isn't until Jan. 4.
The Canadiens already played one game without fans last Thursday after an urgent request that day from Quebec Public Health. The province then announced there would be 50 per cent capacity for indoor venues with 1,000 or more people going forward, but increasing COVID numbers caused a change Monday.
