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MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP has decided to keep its bubble setup for the Season 84 men’s basketball tournament on Saturday, April 23, even after the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) allowed collegiate leagues to break such arrangements.
However, the league also said it is open to break the schools’ bubble setups after the basketball tourney, just before volleyball season begins in early May.
“We may consider actually going to a closed-circuit setup going into the volleyball tournament,” said UAAP president Nonong Calanog. “Now that we more or less have a hand in organizing a tournament with these particular protocols, we can actually see or project if we can run a tournament safely now within a closed-circuit setup.”
Under a downgraded closed-circuit system, all student-athletes may return to their homes and families, and just return to play on game days with constant COVID-19 testing still in place. Pro leagues like the PBA and the PVL have long adopted this system amid the pandemic.
“When the guidelines were made, we were still at Alert Level 2,” said CHED chairman Popoy de Vera. “We’re now under Alert Level 1. You can dispense the bubble, and put other systems in place for the safety of the athletes. I leave that to the UAAP to decide.”
“I came here to see how the guidelines have been implemented. I’m very confident UAAP is doing a very good job,” he added. “The fact that there have been no infections during the tournament is testament to the fact that the guidelines have been made in accordance with the stakeholders.”
The new loosening of restrictions follows the league’s reopening of live game attendance to fans last April 5, all while still maintaining bubble zones prohibited to outsiders inside the MOA Arena. For now, however, that hybrid bubble setup will stay in place, especially now that the basketball tournament is entering its final stages.
UAAP athletes, particularly for basketball and volleyball, have been locked in bubbles in their respective schools since early 2022. – Rappler.com
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