THE PBA is moving closer to welcoming the fans inside the venues after receiving the clearance to play the games in Pasay City with spectators.
PBA crowd returns
Commissioner Willie Marcial revealed the development but added the PBA games in Pasay City will most likely held by January.
“Pasay, pumapayag na. Pero puno ang schedule nila… Makakalaro na tayo sa Pasay by January na siguro,” said Marcial.
PBA games in Pasay with fans will have to wait as the Mall of Asia Arena will host the MPBL Invitational starting on Saturday until December 23 in a competition that has also been opened to spectators.
Cuneta Astrodome is another venue in Pasay, but it was gutted by fire recently, making it unusable for games to be held there.
Marcial though is hopeful that the return of spectators in PBA arenas will come sooner than later as the league now waits for the clearance from the Quezon City government which could be given as early as next week.
The Smart-Araneta Coliseum has already indicated its desire to stage the PBA games at the venue, but the league needs the required go-signal from the LGU.
Despite the clearance from Pasay City and the impending go-signal from Quezon City, Marcial said the league will limit the number of spectators that will enter the venue.
“Ang MOA, ang papapasukin lang nila, lower box. So mga 1,200 lang kasama na tayo [teams, league staff, production, media]… Ang Araneta, pumapayag ata sila ng upper box pero walang gallery. Ang Araneta kaya ng 20,000, ngayon 4,000 na lang,” said Marcial.
Marcial said the league and the venue will be implementing protocols such as social distancing and the strict wearing of masks.
“Ang Araneta, may marshals sila na kapag may naghubad ng mask, pipinahan. May ordinansa sila na magbabayad ka,” said Marcial.
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