PBA bubble to resume games November 3 with additional health protocols

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) announced on Saturday that it will resume the games in its Clark bubble on Nov. 3, with new protocols added as recommended by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging and Infectious Disease (IATF).

As part of its health measures, the league 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.

The other new measures to be implemented are:

- 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.

The league said it will also have its separate temporary quarantine facility in the Clark Freeport Zone. 

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. – RC, GMA News