By Steve Keating

(Reuters) – North America’s top sports leagues struggled to control an explosive COVID-19 epidemic on Thursday, as millions of fans awaited a chaotic holiday season.

Three days of high-stakes positive testing have prompted the National Football League, National Hockey League, and National Basketball Association to postpone games and put players in league-mandated COVID-19 protocols.

The holidays season is filled with action across Canada and the United States.

While there are no signs yet of holiday action being delayed, it is possible that fans won’t see all their favorite players due to the coronavirus.

After receiving an inquiry from Quebec officials regarding the “spiraling increase in COVID-19” cases, the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens played host to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.

The Canadiens stated that they have received assurances from the Canadiens, stating, “We have been given full capacity and will be back to hosting fans in January.” They also encouraged fans to get booster shots and to be immunized.

On Thursday, the NFL updated their COVID-19 protocols, nL1N2T134I, to require masks, regardless of vaccine status. It also banned outside visitors and eliminated in-person meals for players who had tested positive.

Reuters reported that the NFL has no plans for limiting stadium capacity because, barring a few exceptional cases, it does not allow players to interact with fans.

PROTOCOLS OF THE NBA

Some Canadians may not be able to get tickets for the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, or NBA’s Toronto Raptors. This is because the Ontario provincial government has imposed a limit of 50% on the capacity for sporting events that begin Saturday.

The NHL already has a 10 game backlog and was looking into the possibility of additional scheduling problems.

COVID-19 ravaging their locker rooms, the Calgary Flames reported on Thursday that they had added two players to protocol. This brings the total number of COVID-19-infected Flames players up to 18.

Calgary was almost in quarantine and the NHL announced that it would delay Calgary’s return until Dec. 18.

When Reuters inquired by email about the possibility of limiting attendance at the World Junior Hockey Championship, the International Ice Hockey Federation did not respond to Reuters immediately.

But, this week, the Premier of Western Canada Province stated that no changes were being made to the capacity in the venues hosting the 32-game tournament.

The NBA’s first two regular season games were delayed Monday by 10 Chicago Bulls and other staff members.

ESPN reported that the league and players agreed to COVID-19 protocol changes for the holiday season. This included increased testing.

In the memo was also mentioned a return to mask use in almost all situations, such as when traveling or while sitting on the bench during games.

It has also affected college sports including Tulane University’s men’s basketball team in New Orleans, which was temporarily suspended due to several positive COVID-19 cases within the program.

    The decision resulted in the cancellation of two games.