theBreaker.news Podcast: The view from Bowen Island

On this week's edition of theBreaker.news Podcast, Jim Mullin of TSN and Football Canada provides the View from Bowen Island, the idyllic home to 3,700 in Howe Sound.

Mullin has been under the weather with flu and is among the many in British Columbia who have been unable to get tested for coronavirus in B.C. Coincidentally, he stayed at a downtown Vancouver hotel near the Pacific Dental Conference in early March, which turned out to be the site of a well-publicized coronavirus outbreak.

“I’m well on my way to getting better, but it’s still kind of frightening to know that without a test, you don’t really know how you can function in society yet,” Mullin told host Bob Mackin.

Mullin also gave his take on the Canadian Football League's decision last week to delay the start of the 2020 regular season until at least July. Mullin, who hosts Krown Gridiron Nation on TSN, said the CFL is facing a more complicated situation than it appears.

American players would need to be quarantined for two weeks upon arrival, at a hefty cost to the teams. A Labour Day weekend kickoff would be likely. Would the season be as few as eight games with playoffs culminating in the Grey Cup, as scheduled, in Regina? Or would there be a 12 to 16 game season, with the Grey Cup in January?

“There are sources that have said to me everything is on the table," Mullin said.

Then there are the fans. Would they be comfortable returning to stadiums after social distancing in the spring? Would they be able to afford tickets anymore? And what about the potential for a dreaded second wave of the virus?

“You could start a season that could conceivably not have an end," Mullin said.

Listen to the full interview.

Also, listen to highlights of free press advocates discussing the challenges for media in a time of crisis. United Nations special rapporteur David Kaye and Committee to Protect Journalists’ Courtney Radisch spoke on the International Centre for Journalists webinar on April 8.

Plus coronavirus headlines from the Pacific Northwest and Pacific Rim,

• Looking for information on how to keep yourself and others healthy amid the coronavirus pandemic? Do you have symptoms? Click here for all you need to know, from HealthLinkBC.

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