A total of 18 players and coaches from the men’s Mount Royal University (MRU) Cougars hockey team have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. In a statement Monday afternoon, a university spokesperson said the institution was sharing this information “because this is the first instance of a COVID-19 spread among the campus community.” The school has no plans to comment on individual cases and said it will not be detailing which players and coaches have been infected to respect the privacy of those involved. According to the MRU Cougars website, there are 25 players, four coaches and seven support staff on the 2020-21 roster. MRU said the team stopped training after the first individual experienced symptoms and members are self-isolating. The university declined comment on whether Alberta Health was involved in any part of the contact tracing or what role Alberta Health played in notification. MRU also would not provide information on when the first case was identified or whether the team could have exposed players from other teams near the time these cases were considered active.
