KITCHENER -- The province has confirmed a limited number of Ontario Hockey League fans will be allowed back inside arenas this fall, but what's not clear yet are the rules surrounding vaccinations for those spectators.
As of Wednesday, 1,000 fans will be allowed inside the arenas. So for a team like the Kitchener Rangers who typically sell out their 7,000 plus seats, it means tickets might be hard to come by.
The OHL pre-season is just six weeks away with teams set to hit the ice on September 3.
The province says if trends continue to improve more fans may be allowed in throughout the season.
Ontario's minister of sport Lisa MacLeod said Wednesday that arenas like The Aud are owned by the cities so it will be up to local public health officials to decide.
“If you want to go to a live concert or to live performance, you're going to need to get double vaccinated, I’m not saying it's mandatory, but I’m telling you that's the biggest way that we're going to be able to thrive,” said MacLeod.
As for the Rangers, the team says they are also waiting on more direction from the league itself surrounding vaccinations inside arenas.
They say they will follow all public health recommendations to keep fans safe.
