I was here in the province of Alberta in Canada also last year at the JVM.

Then we lived in a strictly closed bubble, where the hotel was surrounded by fences and where we sat isolated for almost six days before we had to move outside the rooms in the hotel building which was quarantined. 

We were transported to the arena in dedicated vehicles.

The arena, which was also isolated and fenced, only open to those who only stayed in the arena and at the hotel throughout the tournament.

We were tested every day, and body temperature was measured twice a day. 

Every step we took was monitored via a chip in the accreditation. 

We were in a parallel universe that consisted of two buildings with hundreds of non-infected people.

Probably the place on earth where just then most people actually moved on a common surface.

We hung out - with social distancing and mouth guards and lots of rubbing alcohol - but we worked on almost as usual inside our own artificial world. 

And covid-19 did not enter.

Although the invisible enemy accompanied some of the participants from home and into the bubble, he was immediately isolated and then never found his way back inside.

Last year was a formidable success 

This year's JVM occurs exactly one year later.

A lot has happened during the pandemic. 

There are vaccines.

All of us who had anything to do with the championship are fully vaccinated. 

We also had negative PCR tests, two in fact, with us when we came here.

Here to the province of Alberta.

The province where omikron is ravaging and where everything changed in just a few days.

The province's health authorities introduced new strict guidelines five days before the JVM was to start. 

Publikkapaciteten på idrottevenemang drogs ner till hälften, även för JVM. Arrangörerna fick jobba snabbt. Obligatoriska dagliga PCR-tester för alla, inte bara spelare och ledare, infördes tre dagar innan JVM drog igång och när vi landade den 25.e hade även dagliga snabbtester införts. Jag och fotograf Sebastian isolerades på rummen i väntan på två negativa provsvar innan vi kunde börja jobba.

JVM managed to play two rounds, then came the first positive test results for players.

Two fully vaccinated, asymptomatic 19-year-old elite athletes test positive and are placed in a ten-day quarantine.

The next day comes two new positive cases.

Two players in two different national teams.

And two more fully vaccinated, asymptomatic teenage elite athletes are quarantined for ten days.

Did they bring the infection from home, like players last year?

Or did they get infected here in Canada?

How does omikron behave?

The pandemic may have been going on for almost two years, but the virus is still constantly challenging science and government.

In addition, five judges, a Canadian reporter on TSN and a number of people in the staff around the championship had tested positive.

They are vaccinated, they do not feel sick, but they test positive.

This was probably just the beginning.

And the championship was shut down.

JVM had no chance

On Monday, in the neighboring United States, the quarantine requirement for covid infection was reduced from ten to five days.

The NHL is discussing doing the same.

The province of Quebec here in Canada has completely abolished quarantine requirements for healthcare professionals and people with other important functions. 

The world is groping.

We are in a dizzying phase of the pandemic.

Anyone who shouts about broken quarantine bubbles and wedding parties at player hotels has forgotten to look up.

JVM never had a chance this time.

Maybe three weeks ago, or in a month. 

But not Christmas 2021 in the Hot Spot omikron province of Alberta.

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Wallstedt: "It was an incredible feeling in the team"