The CEO of the World Surf League (WSL) announced that the 2020 Billabong Pipe Masters will resume after a pause of several days.
Erik Logan plans to run the competition taking advantage of "a promising forecast."
The first stop on the 2021 Championship Tour (CT) was suspended on December 12 due to positive COVID-19 tests within its WSL staff, including Logan.
"A mammoth amount of work has gone into getting professional surfing back, part of which included comprehensive COVID-19 protocols to ensure the safety of the local community, surfers, and staff," says Erik Logan.
"We want to continue to reinforce and highlight the broadcast-only nature of the Pipe Masters and thank the State of Hawaii for continuing to support the world's best surfing happening here."
WSL says that it has "identified and isolated a positive case and contact tracing group and contained the further spread of the virus."
However, it has not officially confirmed who, apart from the CEO, tested positive for Covid-19.
The Yago Dora Case
Yago Dora tested negative for Covid-19 before embarking on his November 26 flight from Brazil to Dallas, Texas.
At the Dallas airport, the Brazilian surfer tested positive and went into isolation in a hotel room for ten days.
He was released from quarantine, but the Covid-19 test remained positive.
Nevertheless, with the help of the WSL, Dora received an exemption from the Hawaiian government that allowed him to travel to Hawaii and bypass the 14-day isolation for arrivals without valid proof of a negative coronavirus test taken 72 hours before his flight.
According to the Hawaii Attorney General's office, Yago Dora was deemed not contagious by a doctor.
The competitive window for the 2020 Billabong Pipe Masters runs from December 8-20, meaning that WSL has four days to conclude the event.
The Maui Pro, which had been suspended after a shark incident with a recreational surfer at Honolua Bay, will be completed at Pipeline.
It will be the first time in history that a women's CT contest takes place at the iconic North Shore of Oahu surf break.