Another Step Closer to Resumption PBA Teams to Undergo COVID-19 Swav Test Ahead of Training Restart

With Metro Manila set to be placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) starting tomorrow, August 19, 2020,  until August 31, 2020, for now, it opens the door anew for sports teams such as those in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) to resume to holding team practices as the league moves closer towards the eventual resumption of the all-Filipino conference.

As part of the precautionary measures that are needed to be taken, all 12 PBA teams are set to undergo swab tests for 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) later this week and if things turn out negative in the tests, they are free to start their training. That is what PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial. Three teams under the San Miguel Corporation, namely the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, San Miguel Beermen, and the Magnolia Hotshots, are set to undergo the said tests at the company's own laboratory while the rest of the pack will be tested at the Makati Medical Center on August 20 to 21. Marcial also reminded teams that while those teams whose players and other personnel would test negative, would be allowed to go back to training as long as they follow the protocols and guidelines set by the league. 

If things go well from the moment the team trainings resume, Marcial also hopes that the teams can next hold scrimmages and, if and when Metro Manila will be put under the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), PBA can make its return to action by October.  

It's still a long way to go before the PBA can make its return to our lives but if there's one thing that fans should take from this development, it's that the league is working hand-in-hand with the national government for basketball to eventually return to our lives. 

Photo is from Manila Bulletin