The men’s playoff round of the curling ball game on Sunday was canceled after the player received a notification from the COVID Alert app.
The app notifies the person when they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
Jerry Girts, organizer of Stu Sells Oakville Tankard, said all participants are required to download the app before the competition to provide “an extra layer of security for players”.
“Although no player has been infected, we have received an alert on their COVID Alert app that they have been in contact with a positive case,” Guerts said in a statement. “According to the protocols, this player will self-isolate, and the whole team will receive a test to make sure there is no spread.”
Details of the exact timing and receipt of the notification have not been released.
The competition was one of the first notable awards held this season. There were a handful of skating rinks known in the field of 24 teams.
2014 Olympic champion Brad Jacobs was scheduled to play Jason Cam in the semi-final match Sunday afternoon at the KW Granite Club.
“We agree that this is the right decision for the safety of all involved,” Jacobs’s team said in a post on Twitter.
Rob Ainsley was scheduled to meet Robert Desjardins in the other semi-final. The final of the men’s condolence between Greg Inglis and Sam Stipe has also been canceled.
“It’s sad that we’re not going to see a good final for men today, but we’re safer than sorry,” event sponsor Stu Sankei said on the event’s webcast. “That’s why we have the protocols in place so we can skip it. I think it’s the right call.”
Curling is slowly resuming play around the world in a season still in flux due to the global pandemic. Many important events have been postponed or canceled with 2021 competitions being temporary at best.
Stu Sells Oakville Tankard usually draws an International Stadium in First Division.
However, this year’s competition, which has moved to Waterloo, where the usual Oakville club has yet to reopen, has been limited to local competitors with most players from Ontario.
Sankey said in a text that the women’s qualifiers went ahead as scheduled on Sunday as the women did not play simultaneously with the men during the first two days of competition.
He added that there was one draw on Sunday morning where the men and women were playing at the same time, but they were several cards away.
Jennifer Jones beat Holly Duncan 8-7 in an extra final in the final. Cathy defeated Old Emma Wallingford 7-3 in the Consolation Final.
Several return-to-play protocols were set in place for the $ 10,000 contest, which hosted a mixed doubles event a week earlier.
All stone knobs were disinfected before each pull, and place capacity rules were in effect.
Players arrived in their uniforms to reduce interaction in the locker room. Warm-ups took place in the parking lot or showroom and took the teams to the ice in stages.
The reels wear masks but can lower the hood when throwing or sweeping on opening day Friday. Sankey said the rule was revised on Saturday to make the use of the mask mandatory at all times on ice.
To aid with the separation, two players followed the rock under the ice but only one could sweep it.
The dominating vault of the house was centered in the loop area but was not supposed to place a broom. Wait for another skip by the boards.
Frisbee-sized logos on ice served as dedicated waiting areas for players when the opposing team threw rocks.
Another 24-team event, Stu Sells Toronto Tankard, was scheduled to play for the same club from October 9-12.
