PBA postpones games, suspends scrimmages amid surge in COVID-19 cases

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has temporarily suspended the 2021 Governors' Cup amid the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases in the country.

The league on Thursday said it is postponing all matches until the rise in virus cases eases while also announcing that it is suspending team scrimmages despite the government allowing clubs to hold them in Level 2 areas.

"'Yung health and safety talaga ng lahat ang importante. Mahirap na, we can't put the people under our care at risk, ganon din 'yung mga makakasalamuha nila. Mabuti na 'yung nag-iingat," league commissioner Willie Marcial said in a statement.

The league has also reduced the number of allowed individuals in team workouts from 10 to 7. Only four players, one coach, and one safety officer will be allowed to attend to train.

The decision came after the PBA board of governors convened in a special meeting on Wednesday following the league's earlier decision to postpone the games in the first week of January.

Prior to the postponement, the league was staging the games at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, which is part of National Capital Region (NCR) that was recently escalated to Alert Level 3. — LA, GMA News