Toronto Blue Jays Eager to Return Home

The Toronto Blue Jays could be returning home soon, say Canadian Government officials.

Canada’s deputy chief public health officer says the Toronto Blue Jays’ return to Canadian soil is “trending in a very good direction.” https://t.co/Q3l9JjJ69v
— Toronto Star (@TorontoStar) July 15, 2021

Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada's Deputy Chief Public Health Officer, had some positive things to say about the return of the baseball to the Rogers Centre.

We're looking at, I would say, last details. But at this point I would say there aren't any showstoppers or anything that we really can't continue to discuss and move forward on. So I can't give you a date in terms of when a possible decision would be made for the NIE or national interest exemption, but I would say that in terms of the discussions from a public health perspective, they've been going very well.

The Blue Jays, much like the Toronto Raptors, have been forced to play their home games outside of Canada as US-Canadian borders remain closed to nonessential travel. The Blue Jays have played in Dunedin, Florida (the home of their Minor League A team) as well as in Buffalo for parts of the last two seasons.

And there is reason to be optimistic, as Major League Soccer's Toronto FC have recently been granted permission to play at their home in Toronto (BMO Field) for their upcoming match on Saturday July 17th. Concerts have also been going on sale in Toronto, with local venue Budweiser Stage set to reopen in mid-August.

Official sources say that a decision will be made by the end of Friday, so stay tuned...

Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports