By Fernan Angeles
THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) games at the Clark bubble will be back on November 3, as the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging and Infectious Disease (IATF) puts in place new protocols to ensure safe playing environment.
As part of its health measures, the PBA management said the COVID-19 positive Blackwater player, who yielded negative results after undergoing antigen and RT-PCR test, will complete 10 days of isolation from date of swabbing before resuming games.
Among the new measures to be implemented include the completion of 14-day quarantine and testing before entering the bubble for all those who will test positive moving forward and the appointment of an independent marshal to oversee and ensure compliance with health and safety protocols, as recommended by the DILG.
A separate temporary quarantine facility in the Clark Freeport Zone is also among the requirements.
Games were postponed on Friday to ensure that additional safety measures will be instituted inside the league’s bubble.
Prior to the case of the Blackwater player, the PBA also reported that one of its referees tested positive for COVID-19, which also later turned out to be negative after undergoing antigen and RT-PCR swab tests.
Despite the cases, the league said the bubble remains intact “but we must always strengthen our protocols in consultation with the IATF and NTF to ensure the safety of everyone in the bubble.”
At least five games have already been suspended following the league’s report on the COVID-19 cases. The PBA has no official word yet on the new schedule of games.