All games of the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup have been postponed until further notice.
This is in compliance with the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Technical Working Group and the Department of Health (DOH) Advisory Group of Experts.
The move was done to ensure the integrity and safety of the PBA Bubble, which involved the gymnasiums at the Angeles University Foundation in Angeles City, Pampanga, and the quarters of the league at the Quest Hotel inside the Mimosa grounds.
Officials said in a statement that the games will resume once “new protocols proposed by the IATF and DOH are out in place.”
The postponement came a week after a player from Blackwater Elite and a referee initially tested positive for COVID-19 and had to be isolated.
But the two individual eventually yielded a negative result on their confirmatory tests. The cases were later classified as “false positives.”
To find out if more players, coaches and staff are also affected, the teams which Blackwater Elite faced earlier in the season needed to be moved, and as more tests are done.
This has affected the schedules of the NLEX Road Warriors, the Gin Kings, the Northport Batang Pier and the Tropang Giga.
The game between NorthPort and Magnolia was supposed to tip-off at 4 p.m. on Friday. After that, a clash between San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra was supposed to follow at 6:45 p.m.
The PBA bubble is the first sports event held in the Philippines after months of lockdown due to the risk brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health measures such as regular testing for the teams and observation of minimum health standards are being strictly implemented throughout the bubble.
The delegations involved in the bubble are currently staying at Quest Hotel inside the 201-hectare Filinvest Mimosa Plus Leisure City.
To keep the players occupied when not playing or having practice, they are indulging in Mimosa’s world-class amenities, that include a 130-hectare golf course, a resort-like swimming pool and a fitness gym.