BCDA’s Dizon reveals restart protocols

Just how strict will the PBA bubble be inside Clark Freeport Zone?

For one, the members of the PBA delegation will be subjected to a battery of COVID-19 tests that will be funded by the Clark Development Corp (CDC).

“In our proposal to the PBA, the CDC will take care of the testing to every player, coach, staff member, and everyone involved in the bubble,” said Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) CEO Vince Dizon in Filipino on Thursday in a Zoom press conference. “We’ll also help them, with the help of health experts, to create testing protocols and other logistics including transportation and security.”

Dr. Raul Canlas, head of the league medical committee that will oversee the health guidelines in Clark, said that players are required to undergo a swab test once a week once inside the bubble.

However, once antigen testing is approved by the Department of Health, testing could even increase.

“Antigen [testing] will be done every three days and it’s 80-percent sensitive,” Canlas said of the test that will produce results within 15 to 30 minutes.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, antigen tests are rapid procurers that perform best when the person is tested in the early stages of infection.

Antigen testing is also informative in diagnostic testing situations when a person has been exposed to an infected individual.

Aside from that, Dizon said his group will ensure a safe space for the PBA group.

“Clark is gated and Mimosa itself is gated. All the entrances and exits in Mimosa will be closed during the bubble and the PBA will have exclusive use of Quest Hotel,” Dizon said.