Here's what the CFL's COVID-19 protocol will look like for the Riders

REGINA -

Players for the Saskatchewan Roughriders are returning to Regina ahead of CFL training camp after almost a year and a half on the sidelines.

Both domestic and international members of CFL clubs across Canada will begin a week-long quarantine before they return to the gridiron for training camps, which will start July 10.

According to documents obtained by CTV News, during the seven-day quarantine, players will be confined to single rooms in a team hotel. They’ll be subject to multiple PCR COVID-19 tests and a daily CFL self-screening questionnaire.

The documents say players will be allowed to participate in team-supervised outdoor training once two negative COVID-19 PCR tests and one negative rapid antigen test are completed by day five of the seven-day quarantine. Players won’t be permitted to access any weight rooms.

Instead of bonding off the field, players will not be permitted to visit with teammates, team staff, or anyone else who lives in another household, nor will players be allowed to see partners or family who don’t live with them.

On road trips, players are allowed to go on walks outside of the hotel but aren’t allowed to visit establishments like restaurants – something that will be reviewed after the second week of the season – and they must only travel on team-arranged transportation when going to and from the stadium and airport while on the road.

During the first six weeks of the season – which extend to Aug. 15 – travel won’t be permitted during bye weeks. The Riders don’t have their first bye-week until week four of the CFL season.

These rules apply to players whether they’ve been vaccinated for COVID-19 or not. However, these protocols, which were originally put in place in February, are currently being discussed with the federal government.

According to the documents, possible changes to these restrictions will be addressed no later than Aug. 15 and it’s expected that restrictions for vaccinated players will be revisited soon.

CTV News reached out to the CFL for comment but did not receive a response.