No vax, no play for imports

MANILA, Philippines — PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said yesterday vaccination will be required for imports entering the country to play in the Governors Cup tentatively starting on Nov. 28 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

Quarantine protocols will also be imposed. At the moment, quarantine for vaccinated passengers arriving from “green” or “yellow” list countries is broken down into five nights/six days in a government-accredited facility with RT-PCR testing on the fifth day and if negative, five more days at home.

Marcial expressed thanks to Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto for allowing the first stage of the recent Philippine Cup to be held in the city and will once more seek his approval for the Governors Cup. He also cited former Rizal Gov. Ito Ynares, Rizal Gov. Nini Ynares and former Antipolo Mayor/Rizal Gov. Jun Ynares for the family’s all-out support in opening the doors of the Ynares Sports Arena to the PBA. Under Alert Level 2 in NCR Plus, Marcial said live audience will be allowed to watch the games but will still consult with IATF on exact capacity, distance between seats, vaccination rules and sanitation requirements.

The Governors Cup format will be a single round eliminations, eight-team quarterfinals with the top four placers enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage, best-of-five semis and best-of-seven finals. Deputy commissioner Eric Castro said the proposed schedule is subject to approval by the Board of Governors but mentioned the possibility of a Christmas Day treat. The plan is to finish the second conference in the first week of March then conduct the draft that same month. An option is to take a holiday break from Dec. 26 to Jan. 4.

Under Alert Level 2, live audience is permitted up to 50 percent capacity of the venue but IATF’s classification for NCR Plus is only from Nov. 5 to 21. Since the PBA intends to launch the Governors Cup on Nov. 28, it will await IATF’s directive on Alert Levels beyond Nov. 21 to set the guidelines for live audience attendance.