Gilas wary of virus surge

Gilas Pilipinas is keeping tabs as Indonesia faces Covid-19 surge ahead of its hosting of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in Jakarta next month.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) special assistant to the president Ryan Gregorio said the federation is closely monitoring the ongoing Covid-19 surge in Indonesia as it could potentially affect the staging of the prestigious tourney that is scheduled from 17 to 29 August.

Gregorio said they have yet to tackle the situation abroad, but expressed their readiness for any event that might affect the team’s preparations.

“The Covid situation in Indonesia has not been discussed yet. But we will be ready for any eventuality,” Gregorio told the Daily Tribune.

After a resounding 6-0 sweep in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers last month, the national squad is expected to join 15 other qualified teams that will battle it out for basketball supremacy in Asia.

Things, however, are not going well in Indonesia.

Indonesia has registered the most coronavirus infections in the Southeast Asian region, tallying a total of 2.28 million since the pandemic began.

The emergence of the lethal Delta variant even worsened the situation after its caseload spiked to more than 25,000 new cases every day and put them at a nationwide testing and oxygen crisis.

The Indonesian government has decided to impose lockdowns on its major islands like Bali and Java over the weekend and also expected to change entry rules for foreign visitors, only allowing fully-vaccinated foreigners to enter the country.

With this development, Gregorio said Gilas will still stick to its original training plan while keenly waiting for any updates from International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

The all-cadet squad is currently undergoing quarantine protocols and expected to return to practices on or before 20 July.

“As far as our preparation is concerned, we are focused on the calendar set forth by FIBA,” Gregorio added.

“Unless told otherwise, we are preparing for those dates.”