ANGELES CITY - The PBA referee who's a 'probable case' for COVID-19 appears to be a 'false positive' incident.
The game official came out negative in the antigen testing conducted on him Wednesday afternoon at the New Clark City quarantine facility.
He will still be subjected to another RT-PCR test to confirm the negative antigen result as per a statement jointly made by the PBA and Clark Development Corp (CDC).
But even if the latest swab testing yields a negative result, the game official will remain on strict 14-day quarantine at the facility that served as Athletes Village in last year's hosting of the Southeast Asian Games.
Meanwhile, fellow game officials listed as close contacts of the referee had already been identified and are now isolated within the next 12 hours. They too, will undergo a new round of RT-PCR tests on Saturday.
“We would like to assure the public that the integrity of the bubble has not be compromised. Protocols have not been breached,” said the league in a statement.
Following the incident, stricter health protocols will be imposed inside the bubble.
Restrictions of movements had been ordered among league officials, players, members of media, and all other persons in the bubble.
Unnecessary gatherings outside of team practices are also prohibited.
Suspension of activities such as swimming, workout, jogging, among others will be lifted by Thursday after being suspended for a day to disinfect the bubble facilities.
Movement of persons in the bubble is being monitored by StaySafe.Ph, the official contact tracing app of the league for the season restart.
Games of the Philippine Cup remain as scheduled at the Smart 5G-powered Angeles University Foundation gym, although stricter measures will be imposed at the venue and inside Quest Hotel.
“The continued cooperation of all participants is key in ensuring the resumption of the PBA 45th season is safe and COVID-free,” said the league in a statement.
“We thank the fans and everyone concerned for their continued support to the PBA family.”
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