THE fate of professional leagues particularly the PBA on whether they can play in Metro Manila during the reimposition of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in August is still hanging.
Can pro leagues play during ECQ?
The national government on Friday announced that the National Capital Region will once again be under ECQ from August 6 to 20 due to the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant in the country.
During the first ECQ in March 2020, sports leagues were suspended due to the health crisis, with the PBA forced to play in a bubble in Clark several months after for the safety of those involved.
Games and Amusements Board (GAB) chairman Baham Mitra said, at the moment, the government has yet to come up with a decision on the pro leagues in light of the recent declaration of an ECQ in Metro Manila.
“It’s being deliberated. But they may have to play outside pero nothing definite yet. Safety of the players is the primary concern,” Mitra said.
The PBA was given clearance by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to conduct its season in general community quarantine (GCQ). Even when Metro Manila was under GCQ with heightened restrictions, the PBA was still a go by virtue of a special permit it secured with the national government.
When it resumed, the PBA family already has 97 percent vaccinated.
Meanwhile, the Premier Volleyball League is playing its bubble season in Ilocos Norte, which is under MECQ, while the National Basketball League and Women's National Basketball League are playing their games in San Fernando, Pampanga, an MGCQ area, in a home-venue-home set-up.
The Philippines Football League is eyeing an August 21 opening, but has already secured a clearance from the Carmona local government unit for training to resume at the National Training Center.
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