Atwal defends letting families attend Jets game

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This article was published 02/06/2021 (1303 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s deputy chief provincial public health officer defended the province’s decision to allow the families of Jets players to attend home games — vaccinated or not — as Manitobans are told to stay at home.

At a news conference Thursday, Dr. Jazz Atwal said families in attendance at Wednesday’s Winnipeg Jets game at Bell MTS Place were properly distanced from others in the arena. He called the move safe, despite acknowledging the province didn’t know if the family members had been vaccinated for COVID-19.

The province changed its public health orders earlier this week to allow up to 500 health-care workers to attend Jets home playoff games, as long as they can prove they’re fully vaccinated. The order also allows family members, coaches, managers and “administration officials” of the Jets to attend, but does not require them to provide proof of vaccination.

“It was an opportunity to show those health-care workers some appreciation in a very safe way. This was a very organized event… these individuals didn’t interact with others in the arena either and it was a very controlled setting,” Atwal said.

Winnipeg epidemiologist Cynthia Carr said family members may have been immunized, but Atwal could not legally disclose that information.

Regardless, she said, the province’s attention on the Jets is an opportunity to enforce consistent rules.

It’s “not ideal,” even with the best of intentions, not to hold everyone to the same standard, Carr said, especially when the province is being forced to look at incentives to get people vaccinated.

If the public health order had included a broader requirement — that any Jets employee should be vaccinated, for example — that would be of benefit, she added.

“I just think that we want to be careful to continue with fact-based messaging, which is that vaccination absolutely matters and has already saved lives. Here are the things you can do if you are fully vaccinated,” she said.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_