Now that two employees of the Philippine Sports Commission have tested positive for the coronavirus, the agency is doubling its efforts to make sure there will be safer and more secure training facilities for national athletes to train in.
This is one of the reasons why the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila and the Philsports Complex in Pasig have stayed in lockdown for the second straight week, compelling the agency to discourage locally stranded individuals from hanging out at the complexes to seek assistance and transportation to their respective provinces.
PSC chairman William Ramirez said during yesterday’s weekly and online session of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Zoom that in order to prevent more infections, assistant secretary Joseph Encabo has already been advised to redirect LSIs to the ports and airports.
“The infections are coming naturally. So we advised Asec. Encabo to send the LSIs to the ports and airports,” said Ramirez.
The shutdown started the other week after one of two staff members of the PSC tested positive of the coronavirus disease.
The employee, who is the head nurse of the PSC, has been in the hospital for the last three weeks and is undergoing treatment.
“I’m praying that she is safe and that she will come out of the hospital soon,” added Ramirez.
The second employee is doing fine and is now undergoing home quarantine.
More employees are now being tested as medical personnel are conducting contact-tracing activities before they and members of the national team and the coaches are allowed step into the premises again.
The facilities were supposed to be made available for those who have qualified for the Olympics and are going to qualifiers.
Executive director Atty. Guillermo Iroy and national training director Marc Velasco are looking into the situation and the facilities of the RMSC, which has been turned into quarantine centers for COVID-19 patients, alongside the Philsports area.
Ramirez said the PSC is determined to let the athletes go back to these venues to train again once they have been disinfected and declared safe.
The PSC chief added that they will prioritize the Olympic qualifiers, those seeking qualification and preparing for the Southeast Asian Games next year.