NHL shortens COVID-19 isolation time to five days after new CDC guidance

The NHL has modified its COVID-19 protocols, shortening the standard isolation period for players who test positive from 10 to five days in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest guidance. 

In a memo obtained by ESPN on Wednesday, the league said the new guidance applies only to U.S. teams and only if approved by local health officials. 

The updated league protocols will let players leave isolation after five days if they produce a negative coronavirus test and are asymptomatic. 

League players returning from isolation will also follow a mask mandate for five days except while on ice for games and practices, according to the memo. 

Ten-day isolation for players remains intact for Canadian-based teams, according to ESPN, as Canada has stricter requirements on virus testing and isolation than the U.S.

The NHL had paused its season through Sunday due to a influx of team COVID-19 outbreaks. 

The league and its player union have agreed that players will not participate in the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics due to coronavirus concerns. 

A total of 80 games, including nine Canadian market games, were postponed this season because of COVID-19, ESPN reported. 

The league and the players union agreed to reimplement the use of taxi squads on Sunday, allowing clubs to call up six players from minor league teams to their main rosters.