EVEN before the PBA passed a memo barring teams from holding practice for the next two weeks, San Miguel already suspended daily training in an effort to help contain the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus.
SMB team manager Gee Abanilla said the Beermen decided to defer their practices starting Friday shortly after the entire team unanimously agreed not to go on with its training a day before at the Acropolis gym.
On Thursday, the Beermen conducted an hour-long shootaround, listened to a short pep talk by coach Leo Austria before dismissing the team with the agreement that it will be San Miguel’s last practice for the Philippine Cup until further notice.
“We observed the situation and then decided with upper management’s guidance,” he said of San Miguel’s decision.
Hours later, Commissioner Willie Marcial signed a memo prohibiting all 12 teams from practicing and playing in tune-up matches for the next two weeks until March 27.
Marcial took the step in the aftermath of President Duterte putting the entire Metro Manila under ‘community quarantine’ starting on Sunday.
But Abanilla said San Miguel has decided on the issue internally even before the memo came out on Friday.
“For me, the best solution for this COVID-19 virus is the social distancing. I think we should be very careful, kasi hindi nman natin alam kung anong nangyayari sa mga nakakasama ng bawat isa sa atin,” said the San Miguel official.
It’s a big risk the Beermen had taken considering they really need to practice daily since the players have yet to get accustomed to the new system being run by the team following the injury to superstar big man June Mar Fajardo.
It’s the health and safety of the players and staff that is foremost in the minds of management.
“Kailangan naman na maprotektahan din namin ang team, and at the same time, yung families ng bawat isa. I’m not really panicking, but what we want is to have precautions,” said Abanilla,
The six-time defending all-Filipino champion has won the lone game played so far for the season, a 94-78 drubbing of Magnolia on opening day.
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