The IIHF would like to provide an update following the arrival and quarantine period of all 10 competing teams and tournament officials from the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship Bubble. 

Since the teams have entered the competition bubble, a total of over 2,000 tests were conducted on all players, staff, and game officials. 

In total, there were 10 positive tests involving two teams:

Team Germany: 8 players tested positive for COVID-19
Team Sweden: 2 staff members tested positive for COVID-19

The Event Medical Team, a five-member panel of Canadian and International medical experts, reviewed each case on an individual basis.

Based on the pre-event medical plan and in consultation with Alberta Health Services (AHS), the following steps are being taken:

Team Germany will remain in quarantine until 24 December, while Team Sweden will remain in quarantine until 21 December, with the exception of players and staff who are exempt from serving a longer quarantine period based on previous PCR positive COVID-19 test that provide a personal immunity and no threat of infection to others.

The above-mentioned decisions have been made through open and daily communication of present testing results to Alberta Health Service, and under the guidance of both AHS and the IIHF medical staff in order to comply with the most current medical protocols.

All other teams will be released from the quarantine period only once all test results have been confirmed. Among the tests conducted on game officials as well as IIHF, Local Organizing Committee, and broadcasting staff there have been no confirmed positive cases reported.

The Event Executive Committee – which includes Luc Tardif, event co-chair, Frank Gonzalez, event co-chair, Tom Renney, chief executive officer of Hockey Canada, and Scott Smith, president and chief operating officer of Hockey Canada – has been receiving regular updates via the Event Medical Committee and will continue to review the testing results.

The Event Executive Committee released the following statement:

The Event Medical Team and Executive Committee will ensure that the affected individuals get the care they require. Our number one priority is the health of the individuals and to ensure that we isolate these cases to keep the entire community and event safe.

The medical plan was built with a quarantine period for participating teams before departure and upon arrival in Canada. We worked closely with Alberta Health Services and the Canadian Government to build a plan that is endorsed by medical experts and supported by all levels of government and health.

The goal of the event was to get players and staff into the bubble as early as possible in order to ensure that we could isolate any positive cases, and allow the impacted individuals to complete a mandatory quarantine period, rejoin their team and participate in the tournament.

Our team continues to work with the Organizing Committee and all competing teams, and we will evaluate the status of all players and staff daily.  Our goal remains to work through the quarantine period and establish a safe bubble for players to achieve their dream of competing in the World Juniors.

All teams and staff will continue to receive daily COVID-19 tests, and the IIHF will continue to provide regular updates on the progress of the event. Due to privacy reasons, the identities of the affected players and staff will not be released, and there will be no further comment by the IIHF and the Event Executive on the announced cases at this time.

With the quarantine period being extended to 21 December for Sweden and 24 December for Germany, the Executive Committee is currently reviewing the pre-competition schedule. A revised schedule will be released within the coming days.