Next corona season, new questions

There is still time, but questions about the next season in the ice hockey league, which of course will also be determined by the corona pandemic, are already emerging.

The SC Riessersee has already dealt with what one would do with players who do not want to be vaccinated.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen -

Ice hockey fans have to be patient for around six weeks, then it starts, then SC Riessersee starts preparing for the 2021/22 season in the Oberliga Süd.

There is still time, those responsible are still primarily concerned with the management planning.

But slowly but surely, other questions are also coming back into focus.

Especially when it comes to Corona.

It is clear to those involved: The next season will also be determined by the developments surrounding the pandemic, normality is far from being thought of.

Instead of the various regulations and guidelines that the virus brings with it.

For example: Do players who have not been vaccinated have to undergo a rapid test before each game?

Last season, SCR carried out PCR or rapid tests in 2000 and paid EUR 15,000 for them

With the SCR, this would not affect the part of the previous team, all players have already had their second dose or will receive it in the coming weeks. But how would the traditional club from Garmisch-Partenkirchen deal with players who do not want to be vaccinated? After all, the roster is far from complete. The managing director has already given some thought to this case: “For me, vaccination is the only solution. But of course you can't and we don't want to force anyone to do it. If someone has a problem with that, they have to give me a negative test every day. ”That means: quick tests at your own expense, before every training session, before every game - almost every day. In the previous season, the club assumed these costs. And that was not a small sum.In total, the SCR carried out an impressive number of 2,000 PCR or rapid tests and spent around 15,000 euros on them.

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Pana Christakakis requires daily test.

© Andreas Mayr

From now on, the unvaccinated players should not only bear these costs themselves, but also organize the tests themselves.

It should be noted that in Bavaria only one test per week is free of charge.

How long this will continue is questionable.

Not vaccinating would also result in further restrictions on the SCR.

So the team would be split into two booths - vaccinated and unvaccinated players.

Similar arrangements would have to be made for the bus trip to the away games.

"I would let the players sit with me so that I can check compliance with the mask requirement," says Christakakis.

Implementation regulations are still a long way off

No new regulations have yet been published by the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB). The implementation regulations for the league season are a long time coming. How long: questionable. The persons responsible at the DEB are currently on vacation, so the daily newspaper could not provide any information on request. Only that the regulations are already being worked on. The SCR managing director still has no template on his table. And the clubs are always informed first, only then does the page-long paper go out to the public.

In the 20/21 season, the association only intensified the test strategy before the playoffs. In the main round, quick tests were not required for teams and referees before the games. In addition, a recommendation was made during the elimination rounds that the teams should be checked once a week using PCR tests. A PCR test was only required at the beginning of the knockout round.