Siniguro ng Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) na mahigpit ang ipatutupad nilang safety measures sa Clark, na napili bilang isa sa mga host ng ikatlo at huling window ng FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifiers.
“This is such a great privilege not only for Clark but for the entire country to host one of the qualifiers for FIBA and we want to assure everybody that we will ensure the safety and health of everyone in the bubble,” wika ni BCDA president and CEO Vince Dizon.
“That is the first and most important objective that we have. And building on the success of the PBA bubble, gagawin pa nating mas istrikto at mas safe itong upcoming bubble na ito.”
Ayon kay Dizon, gagamitin sa FIBA qualifiers sa susunod na taon ang ilan sa mga mahigpit na protocols na ipinatupad noong PBA bubble.
Kabilang na aniya rito ang regular na testing ng mga players at ibang miyembro ng delegasyon sa oras na makapasok na sa bubble at habang nagpapatuloy ang mga laro, maging ang mandatory isolation habang naghihintay ng negatibong RT-PCR test results.
“We will follow the standard testing and isolation protocols for all arriving passengers from abroad. If they turn out positive then they need to go through the mandatory quarantine period and only after they are cleared will they be allowed to be released,” ani Dizon.
Maliban dito, kabilang din sa bubble protocols ng PBA ay ang palagiang paglilinis ng lahat ng mga pasilidad, pag-deliver ng packed meals sa mga hotel rooms, at paggamit ng StaySafe.ph application para sa mas madaling contact tracing.
Samantala, sinabi naman ni Al Panlilio, presidente ng Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), bagama’t magtatakda ng sarili nilang guidelines ang FIBA para sa qualifiers, sisiguruhin ng organisasyon na hindi ito malalayo sa protocols ng Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
“What interested FIBA to take a look into this as a bubble is our success in the PBA bubble because we really followed the IATF guidelines, and FIBA has its own guidelines but I think it will be married with the IATF guidelines but I’m sure it’s going to be a very safe venue and that is paramount to all the games to make sure that we are in very safe conditions,” wika ni Panlilio.
Magsisilbing host ang Pilipinas ng dalawang grupo ng final leg ng qualifiers na naka-schedule sa Pebrero 18 hanggang 22, 2021: Group A, na kinabibilangan ng Pilipinas, South Korea, Indonesia, at Thailand; at Group C, tampok ang New Zealand, Australia, Guam, at Hong Kong.
Bukod sa Pilipinas, co-host din sa FIBA qualifiers ang Japan at Bahrain.
