The city of Calgary has extended its ban on public gatherings until August 31, according to Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
Initially, Nenshi had shutdown any gatherings of more than 15 people until June 30 amid the coronavirus pandemic, but it now covers the entire summer.
Calgarys public events ban does include all gatherings of over 15 people.
Mayor Nenshi says it's possible that professional sports teams would get an exemption, but does not "see a world where you're having a game at a packed McMahon Stadium this summer"— Danny Austin (@DannyAustin_9) April 24, 2020
The Calgary Stampeders were scheduled to host the Saskatchewan Roughriders for a pre-season game on May 30 and regular season games in Week 1 and Week 2 versus the Montreal Alouettes and B.C. Lions on June 12 and June 18, respectively.
Due to the Calgary Stampede, the Stamps were scheduled to play four straight road games from Weeks 3 to 6. However, the major mid-summer event in Calgary was cancelled because of COVID-19 for the first time in over 100 years.
“The Stampede is a critical part of who we are as Calgarians. It’s almost impossible to imagine a summer without it. But these are extraordinary times, and the Stampede has done what they always do: put the community first,” Nenshi said in a statement.
“For me, riding a horse at the front of the parade is a moment, even with all the people and all the noise, for some introspection on who we are as a community. I’m sad to not be at my tenth parade this year. But we’ll dust ourselves off and come back even better. Together.”
The Stampeders had the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers on the calendar as home dates over the summer. The annual Labour Day Classic versus rival Edmonton currently remains unaffected as it is slated for Monday, September 7.
CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie Ambrosie stated April 7, the league’s 2020 campaign won’t start before the beginning of July. Although, the date has been extended in Calgary by Nenshi.
