Canucks home games limited to 50% capacity for another four weeks
Capacity restrictions at Rogers Arena will extend well into next month.
BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced this afternoon that the current restrictions on events and gatherings will extend through at least February 16. That means that capacity at Vancouver Canucks home games will be limited to 50%.
Rogers Arena usually has a capacity of 18,870 for hockey games.
“I will be extending the current restrictions on events and gatherings through to February 16, at which point we will reassess the need once again to keep any or all of these measures in place,” said Henry. “So this will apply to the closures that we have right now in bars and nightclubs, limitations that we have in restaurants to make sure that we’re minimizing the risk of transmission in those settings, and the 50% capacity limits in theatres and stadiums.”
The Canucks, like the other six Canadian NHL teams, have opted to postpone multiple home games in recent weeks due to the restriction. The hope is that many of those games can be rescheduled later in the season, when restrictions are potentially lifted.
Every team north of the border has faced government-imposed capacity limits since December due to the Omicron variant, while teams in the United States have been permitted to continue at full capacity.
The Canucks also played preseason games at half capacity before the BC Vaccine Card required arena-goers to be double vaccinated.
“I know that many people felt that we were overreacting, and I’ve said this from the very beginning of the pandemic, that my challenge is to find that balance of making sure we’re doing just enough to address the situations we’re in, and not allowing our system to [get] overwhelmed. The focus [is on] minimizing the risk of serious illness, hospitalization, but also minimizing the societal impacts as well… And we had to adjust in December once again as the virus changed. It changed, and we needed to change with it,” Henry added.
The last six games scheduled at Rogers Arena have been postponed. The Canucks are slated to return for a three-game homestand beginning this Friday. The next home game on the schedule isn’t until February 24, but the NHL will be adding games in February during the previously-planned Olympic break.
“We continue to work closely with Dr. Henry and the local health authorities as we plan to play our upcoming homestand, beginning Friday night versus Florida,” said Canucks president of business operations Michael Doyle in a statement provided to Daily Hive.
“We are at an important point of the pandemic and what we all do today will keep us safe and will help us get back to a more normal state as soon as possible. The health and safety of our fans, employees, players and community has always been a top priority and we will continue to follow protocols to maintain a safe environment for everyone, including proof of vaccination scanning for all fans and employees who enter Rogers Arena and Abbotsford Centre.”
The Canucks previously indicated that tickets held by season ticket members would remain valid during the 50% capacity restriction, while single-game buyers would receive refunds for their voided tickets.
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