FALSE: Basketball courts allowed to open starting July 16, 2021

At a glance

• Claim: A graphic circulating on Facebook in July 2021 says that all basketball courts in the Philippines will be allowed to open on July 16.
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: The omnibus guidelines released by the national government’s coronavirus task force only authorize non-contact sports – therefore, excluding basketball – in areas under community quarantine. As of July 2021, only bubble-type training and competitions are allowed.
• Why we fact-checked this: The posts containing the graphic have over 96,000 combined shares, 13,700 reactions, and 1,662 comments on Facebook, as of writing.

Complete details

On July 9, Facebook account “Vonthugs Di Ayahay” uploaded a graphic that falsely claims all basketball courts in the Philippines will be allowed to open on July 16.

The graphic says, “July 16 grand opening ng lahat ng basketball court sa Pilipinas.” (July 16 is the grand opening of all basketball courts in the Philippines.)

The post has over 19,000 shares, 2,700 reactions, and 62 comments on Facebook, as of writing.

Using reverse image and keyword searches, Rappler found that the graphic was originally posted on the Facebook page “Basketball” in July 2020. This post has over 84,000 shares, 11,000 reactions, and 1,600 comments, as of writing. 

This is false. 

Since 2020, the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, through the omnibus guidelines on the implementation of community quarantine, has only allowed certain non-contact sports in areas under community quarantine. Basketball is excluded.

Moreover, only athletic bubble-type training and competitions are allowed in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ as of July 2021, according to the joint administrative order released on June 28 by the Philippine Sports Commission, the Games and Amusement Board (GAB), and the Department of Health.

Athletic bubble-type training and competitions refer to sports events in an isolated place where specific leagues, organizations, or competing teams and athletes are expected to live and train under strict health and safety protocols. The purpose of a bubble camp is to hold sporting events without spectators to mitigate public health and safety risks.

As of Friday, July 16, different quarantine classifications remain in place in different parts of the country. (READ: LIST: Coronavirus quarantine classifications in PH until July 31)

What’s returning on July 16 is professional basketball. GAB chairman Baham Mitra said on July 9 that the IATF had approved the request of the Philippine Basketball Association to start its 46th season through a “closed-circuit, semi-bubble setup” at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City. – Owenh Toledo/Rappler.com

Owenh Toledo is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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