If the Blue Jackets want to continue their tradition of fun, safe, family-oriented home game experiences, a simple way to accomplish that is to require fans attending games to show proof of their COVID vaccination upon entry to Nationwide Arena.
This requirement would align with the Blue Jackets’ and the NHL’s requirement that all employees whose job requires them to operate within 12 feet of players must be vaccinated. Sylvain Lefebvre, a newly-appointed assistant coach as of June 30 of this year, has already been terminated due to his non-compliance with this vaccine policy.
On this decision, GM Jarmo Kekalainen did not mince words:
“It’s just impossible to do your job because of the NHL [vaccination] protocol, so we needed a new coach.