By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
During the meeting between the coaches and team managers together with the PBA board, it was decided that coaches who are already senior citizens must have a medical clearance before entering the premises of any PBA facility to participate in their team’s practice sessions.
Coach Yeng Guiao of NLEX, coach Time Cone of Ginebra, coach Leo Austria of San Miguel, and coach Norman Black of Meralco were the identified senior coaches above 60-years-old that will have to follow the strict safety protocols of the league in order to join practices.
The meeting tackled several health issues including high blood, asthma, and diabetes.
Once any of these coaches suffer the listed ailments, they will not be allowed to participate in any team practices and will have to be in their respective homes.
In a medical study about COVID-19, it was found out that one of the most highly-susceptible to the virus are the old-aged people who in general have a weaker immune system than the younger ones.
After the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases gave the green light for PBA to return to practice, commissioner Willie Marcial and the board imposed strict protocols to ensure the safety of the players, coaches, and personnel.