The federal authorities is working arduous to get a Canadian subject hockey workforce stranded in South Africa again dwelling. The scenario has arisen because of the Omicron variant.
Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge referred to as the workforce on Saturday to supply reassurance no stone is being left unturned, says Jenn Beagan, assistant coach of the Discipline Hockey Canada junior ladies’s nationwide workforce.
“She additionally adopted up with our workforce supervisor — for a couple of 20-minute dialog — simply to tell us the very best ranges of presidency are conscious that we’re right here, and dealing to get us dwelling,” Beagan informed World Information in an interview from the northwestern metropolis of Potchefstroom.
“In the mean time we’re simply in a holding sample.”
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The junior ladies’s nationwide workforce landed in South Africa on Nov. 23 to coach — forward of the league’s world cup on Dec. 5 in Potchefstroom.
Inside hours, mentioned Beagan, emails and messages began pinging her inbox, warning about an infectious new COVID-19 variant in South Africa referred to as Omicron.
“Then we went off to coaching with the ladies, and inside a few hours we have been then getting messaging that borders have been closing down and issues have been really progressing fairly shortly,” mentioned Beagan.
The brand new variant was dubbed a variant of concern by the World Well being Group on Nov. 26.
That very same day, a number of nations together with Canada, Nice Britain, India and Japan, enacted bans on journey from a number of southern African nations the place the mutation was found.
The Ladies’s Junior World Cup was cancelled. The workforce has been caught in Potchefstroom ever since.
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In a written assertion, World Affairs Canada mentioned it’s conscious that some Canadians have been impacted by the journey ban, however didn’t tackle the sector hockey workforce’s scenario immediately.
“We will affirm that we’re receiving reviews of Canadians overseas affected by these new measures. As a consequence of privateness concerns, no additional particulars could be supplied,” wrote spokesperson Patricia Skinner.
“Dad and mom are conscious of the scenario and everyone seems to be working collectively to deliver our workforce dwelling.”
Beagan mentioned the B.C.-based workforce’s 20 members and 5 workers have been coaching day by day, protecting themselves occupied as they await information from Ottawa.
“We’ve been informed to carry for 48 hours as a number of the different governments — the E.U., the U.Ok. — make selections on whether or not or not they’re going to simply accept flights touchdown from South Africa,” she defined.
“Canada is so far-off now we have to land in a foreign country mid-route. There aren’t any direct flights.”
A chartered flight is feasible, she added, however all industrial flight choices have to be exhausted first.
The workforce is comparatively remoted in Potchefstroom as junior groups from different nations had not arrived for coaching, mentioned Beagan.
Spirits are good total, she added, however the cancellation of the world cup has been “devastating.”
The workforce raised greater than $160,000 to fund its participation — after changing into the primary Canadian workforce to win gold on the Junior Pan American Video games in Chile in August.
“It’s not simply the cancellation of the world cup however the entire feelings round all of the arduous work it took to get us right here,” she mentioned.
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Canada has now confirmed a number of of its personal circumstances of the Omicron variant. When the sector hockey workforce returns, members will probably be required to take a COVID-19 take a look at and quarantine at a chosen lodge till they obtain a unfavourable outcome.
Below the brand new journey restrictions, international nationals who’ve travelled via southern Africa previously 14 days are prohibited from getting into the nation. The Canadian ban impacts South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini.
In its written assertion, World Affairs Canada mentioned Canadians in want of “emergency consular help” are inspired to contact its 24-hour Emergency Watch and Response Centre at +1-613-996-8885 or sos@worldwide.gc.ca.
Canadian travellers ought to register with the Registration of Canadians Overseas service, it added.
—with information from Aaron D’Andrea
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