Canadian health official gives hint on what could help Blue Jays play in Toronto

Time is running out for the Toronto Blue Jays to figure out where they will be playing home games for the 2020 season.

The Blue Jays are still focused on playing their games in Toronto, but are still in need of final government approval to do so. The major issue remains travel in and out of the country, as both the Blue Jays and their opponents will have to cross the border between Canada and the U.S. multiple times. That border remains closed to non-essential travel.

Canada Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo had an idea that he thought might make it easier for the Blue Jays to play in Toronto — namely that the Blue Jays should have an extended homestand to reduce their travel in and out of the country.

“We’re seeing what’s in the realm of possible,” Njoo said, via Rob Gillies of the Associated Press. “I could get myself in trouble but I’m going to say it anyway. Look at the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Canada. I know the schedule has already been set for the Blue Jays, but in trying to respect the quarantine and keeping players safe, I don’t know, maybe one option is the Blue Jays staying in Canada for an extended period of time and playing a quite a long series of games.”

As Njoo notes, the problem with this is that MLB’s schedule has been set for 2020. Any change would need to come from the league, and could result in awkward travel schedules for opponents.

The Blue Jays can’t like the amount of uncertainty that still exists with regard to their home schedule. They continue to look at alternate sites to potentially play games, but with the season starting in a week and a half, the decision will have to be made very soon.