PBA teams will pick up the tab when their players test positive for the coronavirus.
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said the league's Board of Governors agreed today that teams will shoulder the hospital expenses in case their respective players test positive for COVID-19 in the course of their individual workouts.
The board meeting followed Friday's assembly of coaches and team managers who were briefed by Marcial on the health guidelines the league will impose when individual workouts start.
"Sasagutin ng teams lahat ng hospital expenses pagnagka-COVID ang players. Just like when players get injured. So there's no need for any insurance," Marcial explained.
Upon Ginebra Gov. Alfrancis Chua's suggestion, the board upgraded all testing procedures to swab tests. The initial recommendation by the PBA Commissioner's Office is for players to undergo rapid-swab-rapid tests in that order every 10 days.
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All tests will then be conducted by SMC's lab but teams will shoulder the costs.
The board also gave its go signal for the individual workouts to get going after the commissioner relayed the consensus of the coaches, managers and players.
The Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) has approved last week the request of the PBA to conduct workouts without scrimmages.
With health protocols in place, the league commissioner said the PBA will again write a letter to the IATF come August for its next phase - the resumption of team scrimmages.
"Hopefully, payagan tayo," Marcial said.(Photo: PBA file photo)
