Some football fans across the country say COVID-19 is not going to stop them from having a ball while watching the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers play for the Grey Cup on Sunday.

The Blue Bombers are hoping to successfully defend their 2019 championship, after the 2020 CFL season was cancelled because of the pandemic.

Most provinces had strict gathering restrictions or bans in place this time last year. Public health measures havenB次元官网网址檛 disappeared entirely, but things have loosened up now, in part because people have been able to be vaccinated.

Steven King of Vancouver is meeting his friends from other parts of the country at HamiltonB次元官网网址檚 Tim Hortons Field to watch the game live.

B次元官网网址淚 have a mask, I have three vaccinations, so IB次元官网网址檓 feeling really good about this,B次元官网网址� said King, adding heB次元官网网址檚 been a diehard Bombers fan since 1964 B次元官网网址� the year he was born.

B次元官网网址淓verybody has to show proof of vaccination with the federal travel ID you get when you fly. It has to be scannable and you also have to show your ID to match up to that.B次元官网网址�

Mitch Reuthers said he and some others will party at a friendB次元官网网址檚 home in Winnipeg.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 double vaxxed and not extremely worried about it,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檒l be decked out with flags, signs and bells, making noise in the basement and making my wife mad.B次元官网网址�

Mike Reuthers, 70, is MitchB次元官网网址檚 father. He said heB次元官网网址檒l be calling his son before, during, and after the game from Alberta, a tradition they have been following for years.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e been recording every(CFL) game since 2019 and have rewatched them on my 60-inch TV in the basement,B次元官网网址� the elder Reuthers said.

B次元官网网址淢y wife says goodbye and then she goes upstairs and I sit and watch.B次元官网网址�

While some are feeling safe in groups, others say theyB次元官网网址檒l keep to themselves for SundayB次元官网网址檚 game.

Bill Jeffrey, 48, is tuning in from St. JohnB次元官网网址檚, N.L., with his wife and two kids.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e got the TV set up and, because itB次元官网网址檚 so late in the season, weB次元官网网址檝e got all of our Christmas decorations and a CFL football underneath the tree,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淲e have already decided whatB次元官网网址檚 on the menu, too, and itB次元官网网址檚 served every quarter.B次元官网网址�

Jeffrey said itB次元官网网址檚 a healthier menu that includes turkey balls and turkey burgers.

B次元官网网址淚 had a heart attack a couple of years ago, so weB次元官网网址檙e off the heavy, good stuff.B次元官网网址�

University of Toronto student Brett Szmul plans to watch the Grey Cup in his apartment. Skipping the game is not an option, he said.

B次元官网网址淲hen I was a teenager, my family and I actually used to go to the Grey Cup every year, wherever it was, and so itB次元官网网址檚 a real sort of a family tradition,B次元官网网址� he said.

Szmul has a lot of family in Saskatchewan and, as a Saskatchewan Roughriders fan, was disappointed that the team lost to the Bombers in the West final.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 why I will be sitting at home cheering on the Tiger-Cats.B次元官网网址�

If there was no pandemic, Szmul said, he would have travelled more to Western Canada to watch games with his family.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 looking forward to hopefully a day in the future where itB次元官网网址檚 a lot easier to get around, because my family and I bond over (football) quite a bit, even if weB次元官网网址檙e separated.B次元官网网址�

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press B次元官网网址 Fellowship.

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press

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