Plans for Six Nations to host Hometown Hockey postponed as COVID-19 cases rise

Plans for Six Nations to host Rogers Hometown Hockey have been postponed because of safety concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The three-day festival was set to stop at the Six Nations Sports and Cultural Memorial Centre on Jan. 3, but has been put off until a later date.

"The rising COVID-19 case numbers across the province and concerns surrounding the spread of the Omicron variant have presented great difficulties in planning a full festival event for the community," reads a statement from the Six Nations of the Grand River Elected Council that was sent to CBC on Friday.

It says both Six Nations organizers and the team from Rogers and Sportsnet are "committed to providing the full Hometown Hockey experience to Six Nations, and we look forward to doing so when it's safe."

Six Nations, along with regions across Ontario, have seen case numbers spike in recent days.

Its COVID-19 tracking website showed 105 active cases as of Dec. 30 and 410 members in isolation, though there were zero hospitalizations listed.

The community is reporting a seven-day average of 97 per cent test positivity.

"Indicators for virus spread have significantly increased and are now in the very high risk category," reads a section of the site that's highlighted in red.

The elected council said it will provide further updates on plans for Hometown Hockey when they become available.

In the meantime, it's urging community members to keep following public health measures to slow the spread of COVID-19.