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About 12 days ago, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) had every reason to celebrate after a zero infection rate in its bubble at Clark Freeport. Two days later, he registered his first cause for concern; a positive coronavirus test that was later revealed to be false by a new test. Then a player on one of his teams went through the same scare: another false positive.
On Friday the league was put on hiatus.
Amid a suspension of games within its autonomous zone, the league continues to rely on the protocols it put in place to safeguard its delegation in Clark Freeport, PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial told the Inquirer.
“We have done, in my opinion, everything we need to keep our players, officials and everyone else safe,” Marcial said in Filipino, adding that the league and its bubble partners, Clark Development Corp. and Bases Conversion Development Authority , will heed the recommendation of the Technical Working Group of the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and the Department of Health (DOH) Expert Advisory Group to postpone the games until a new set is applied of protocols.
Equipment adjusting
With Friday’s doubleheader on hold, the teams underwent another round of mandatory testing, with results expected Saturday morning.
The league met with coaches from all teams on Friday. TNT coach Bong Ravena said they discussed “bubble and test protocols.”
“They told us to wait for the updates tomorrow,” Ravena added.
The postponement was made to ensure the integrity and security of the league’s multi-site bubble in Clark Freeport and Angeles City after the ambitious reboot was marred by the two false positives.
A game official suspended a required reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test for delegates on October 20. The league announced on October 25 that a Blackwater player also tested positive for the coronavirus. Both were subsequently approved through confirmatory testing, but still underwent the necessary quarantine periods.
“We’re good,” Blackwater coach Nash Racela told the Inquirer. “We are learning to adapt because something new comes up every day.”
However, Marcial expressed his confidence in the regulations they have to ensure the safety of the delegation.
Before the postponement of the games, a doubleheader was scheduled for Friday, with Stanley Pringle (second from left, bottom photo) and Barangay Geneva hoping to bounce back from a loss to Rain or Shine facing Mo Tautuaa (top photo ) and the defending champion. San Miguel Brewers. —PHOTOS COURTESY OF PBA IMAGES
New protocols
“If you ask me, I trust our security measures, our health protocols,” said Marcial. “We have three levels of security to make sure that no one enters or leaves the bubble. We have regular tests. “
Marcial said the IATF recommended stopping the action until it can implement new protocols to boost what is already underway.
The league also decided to suspend its training on Friday afternoon.
Marcial told the Inquirer at the Angels University Foundation (AUF) gym, the venue of the games, that rescheduling previously postponed games means the league will have to play with all other pre-set times, including times of practice at the AUF, gym and use of the pool.
“It will be a domino effect,” he said.
Quest hotel amenities remain accessible at time of publication.
League statement
“In accordance with the recommendation of the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Advisory Group of Experts of the Department of Health and to ensure the integrity and security of the PBA bubble, the league postpones the games from today, Friday, October 30, until the new protocols proposed by the IATF and DOH are implemented, ”the league said in a statement released Friday.
“The PBA would like to thank IATF, DOH and Clark Development Corp. for their continued support and guidance,” the statement read.
Before the announced postponement, a doubleheader was scheduled between NorthPort and Magnolia and Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer at AUF.
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