PSL gets green light

I am pleased to inform you that the health and safety protocols that we submitted to the Department of Health had been approved with some recommendations

The Philippine Superliga (PSL) is set to return to training as soon as the government lifts the modified enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and nearby cities.

PSL chairman Philip Ella Juico yesterday said they have formally received the green light to return to training through a memorandum from the Department of Health (DoH) dated 23 July.

In the letter, DoH Assistant Secretary Nestor Santiago approved and made some recommendations on the health and safety guidelines submitted by the PSL regarding the conduct of physical activities and sports during the coronavirus pandemic.

The DoH stated that practices of PSL teams would start under the general community quarantine, where only five players would be allowed with skeletal workforce of up to 10 persons and non-contact sports limited only to strength training.

Juico said the news was such a major development since they officially became the first women’s volleyball league to be given the go-signal to resume their training and conditioning sessions.

“I am pleased to inform you that the health and safety protocols that we submitted to the Department of Health had been approved with some recommendations,” Juico said in a statement.

“This is really a big development as we are the first volleyball league to be allowed to return to training. We assured the government that we will do everything to follow the protocols and make sure that training and conditioning sessions would be safe and healthy for everyone.”

PSL president Ian Laurel thanked the DoH and the Inter-Agency Task Force for approving that health and safety guidelines that they submitted.

“We wrote them a letter and attached the guidelines that we have crafted for the league’s safe return to practice,” said Laurel, a medical practitioner and former University of Santo

Tomas star.

“We thank them for approving our submitted guidelines and making some recommendations to make sure that our trainings would be safe. With this, we are expecting the teams to coordinate with their respective LGU (local government units) as they start their trainings.”

Juico said mandatory swab testing is no longer needed since women’s volleyball is not as physical as professional basketball, football and boxing.

Instead, swab testing would be in accordance to the discretion of all member teams.