Victoria HarbourCats, Nanaimo NightOwls to require COVID-19 vaccinations for all players and staff

Victoria -

The company behind the Victoria HarbourCats and Nanaimo NightOwls says it is requiring all players and staff involved with the teams to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The requirement extends to coaches, host families and the group's new Canadian College Baseball Conference team, the Victoria Golden Tide, which will be based out of Royal Athletic Park.

"Because our programs reach into every corner of the communities in which we are fortunate enough to have baseball teams, this is the right thing to do at this time, while we all watch the continued developments with this pandemic," said Jim Swanson, general manager and managing partner of the Victoria HarbourCats and Nanaimo NightOwls.

Swanson notes that the baseball programs involve travel and contact with different communities, which can put players and residents at risk.

"Our programs travel — we take ferries, and cross borders — we cannot operate in a bubble, the programs are too complex," Swanson said in a release Wednesday.

He noted that some exceptions could be made on an individual basis within the organization, saying that there are "medical or other legitimate reasons" for someone to not be vaccinated.

"While we recognize the individual rights and freedoms of people, and celebrate those rights, we also have an overriding need to do all we can to ensure all our people, and those we come in contact with, have the utmost in safety considerations," said Swanson.

The organization says it is still unsure if it will require fans to be vaccinated before attending games.

The HarbourCats are expecting to play a full schedule in 2022, with no limits on spectator capacity. The team says it will make a decision on fan vaccination requirements closer to the season's start date.