Mitra stays positive

It’s not back to square one

Sports and leagues which have been given permission to resume training will have “enough time” to comply with safety protocols that the joint administrative order (JAO) had enforced, the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) said yesterday.

GAB chairman Abraham Mitra, whose agency joins the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Department of Health (DoH) in handling appeals of different sports groups, said the 14-day respite should not be seen as a major drawback.

“It’s not back to square one,” Mitra said.

“But there’s going to be a minor delay, perhaps for two weeks.”

The government on Sunday night announced that the National Capital Region (NCR) and the neighboring provinces of Cavite Laguna, Rizal and Bulacan would be placed under moderate enhanced community quarantine until 18 August.

The move is meant to curb the spread of coronavirus as cases continue to surge in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon.

The Philippine Basketball Association, Philippine Football League as well as certain combat sports groups have also been given the green light to resume training with safety guidelines in place.

But with NCR practically on lockdown mode anew, the PBA, football and professional boxing will have to be on standby again until the government decides to downgrade to general community quarantine.

Mitra and PSC training director Marc Velasco as well as a DoH representative make up the panel that makes recommendations to the Inter-Agency Task Force.