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Blue Jays Denied Approval To Play In Toronto Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

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The Blue Jays will have to find a new home field for 2020, as the team has been denied approval by the Canadian government to play in Toronto amid the coronavirus pandemic.The Blue Jays are the only MLB team located in Canada, where a 14 day quarantine is mandatory when entering the country, and is strictly enforced by the government. Players received an exemption for summer camp, during which the players agreed to isolate in the hotel attached to Rogers Centre and create a quarantine environment, but such a scenario is not feasible for the regular season.In a statement, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino explains “Unlike preseason training, regular season games would require repeated cross-border travel of Blue Jays players and staff, as well as opponent teams into and out of Canada."The Blue Jays are scheduled to start the season July 24 at Tampa Bay. Their home opener was set for five days later against Washington.The team is reportedly considering Buffalo, which has enough hotel space for the home and away teams nearby, as a potential home field for the 2020 season. Also in consideration is the newly renovated spring training field in Florida, but record-setting spikes in COVID-19 may prevent that from being feasible as well.