MANILA – Days after a temporary suspension, this year’s Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup can now resume its matches, said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
In a statement over the weekend, PBA teams have resumed their trainings as games will restart on Nov. 3 at the AUF Sports Arena and Cultural Center in Pampanga.
According to the PBA, with health and safety of each of the 350 participants, the organization commits to comply with the latest recommendations from the IATF-EID:
* Completion of 10-day isolation of Blackwater player from the date of swabbing before resuming the games;
* 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 marshall who shall oversee and ensure compliance with health and safety protocols, as recommended by the DILG.
Also, in coordination with the Clark Development Corp., the PBA will be assigned a separate temporary quarantine facility within the Clark Freeport Zone as additional safety measure.
“These additional protocols from health experts are put in place to ensure the integrity of the bubble,” the PBA said. “We would like to reiterate that the PBA bubble has not been breached but we must always strengthen our protocols in consultation with the IATF and NTF to ensure the safety of everyone in the bubble.”
Heading into the restart, TNT Tropang Giga was on top with a 5-1 win-loss slate, followed by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters with 4-1, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings and San Miguel Beermen with 4-2 each, Alaska Aces has 5-3 and Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters has 4-3.
Completing the standings were Meralco Bolts (3-3), Elite (2-3), Magnolia Hotshots (2-4), NLEX Road Warriors (2-5), NorthPort Batang Pier (1-4), and TerraFirma Dyip (0-5)./PN
