Tough restrictions will be in place when the Philippine Basketball Association begins its 46th season after months of delay.
A triple-header of games is slated, starting at 11 a.m. on July 16 at the Ynares Center in Pasig City.
The games will finally happen after the PBA got the much-awaited nod of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said this a day after getting the word from an IATF meeting in Malacanang.
“Nahirapan tayo sa proseso. Pero buti na lang pinayagan,” said Marcial via a Zoom conference.
Restrictions similar to what took place in the 45th season last year will again be imposed.
And spectators will again not be allowed in the venue to watch the action, which will be aired on TV5.
Marcial added that this will be done to the ensure the safety of the players and staff despite decreasing COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila.
“Mas mahirap ito kaysa sa bubble na ginawa sa Clark,” said Marcial, who added the PBA will adopt a closed-circuit setup, which will be almost the same as what was put up during the games that were held inside a bubble at the Angeles University Foundation gymnasium in Angeles, Pampanga.
Plans are now being prepared to have those who have been inoculated to get tested via an RT-PCR swab test every 10 days.
As for those who are still unvaccinated, they will need to get tested every seven days.