WITH Metro Manila transitioning to Alert Level 1, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is ready to accommodate around 18,000 fans again in the succeeding games of the Governors’ Cup beginning tomorrow at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“One hundred percent capacity na tayo sa Araneta,” (We are at one hundred percent capacity in Araneta) commissioner Willie Marcial told The STAR in the wake of the Inter-Agency Task Force’s downgrade of NCR’s status to the lowest alert level starting today.
Alert Level 1 effectively lifts the restrictions on the total on-site or sitting capacity of sports venues, among other establishments.
Previously, while the stricter Alert Level 2 classification was in place, the pro league only allowed a maximum of 5,000 spectators inside the Big Dome.
The PBA opened the doors to as many as 4,500 over at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, which hosted the games last week, and will expand this to around 8,000 to 10,000 under Alert 1.
The import-flavored tournament returns to the Araneta for its March 2 to 11 slates.
Mr. Marcial stressed that minimum health protocols will continue to be implemented for the bigger live crowd.
Following the lowering of the quarantine qualification, the pro league is also taking a look at whether it needs to adjust its testing protocols for the teams.
Under the present setup, all participants undergo RT-PCR testing every Mondays and antigen testing on the day of their respective games. — Olmin Leyba