Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reported on Thursday that the Blue Jays received an exemption letter from the Canadian government, allowing them to hold training camp in their hometown of Toronto. There had been some speculation that, if the Canadian government hadn’t signed off, the Blue Jays might have had to train in Buffalo, New York, the home of their Triple-A affiliate. Dunedin, Florida, home of the Jays’ Single-A team and spring training, was another possibility.
The exemption letter is only valid for training camp. The Blue Jays will have to apply for another exemption from the Canadian government in order to play their regular season home games in Toronto.
As a result of the exemption, the Blue Jays have agreed to even more stringent testing protocols. They will take an additional PCR test before they cross the border, will be tested an additional time every week, and submit to quarantining. They will not be allowed to leave the Rogers Centre and the attached hotel, Davidi notes, and the players will be apart from their families during training camp. This is all in addition to the health and safety protocols laid out by Major League Baseball and those prescribed by certain states in the U.S.