The Australian Grand Prix will proceed normally this weekend, but it’s uncertain what might happen at the circuit’s third stop, Viet Nam, on the weekend of April 5.
At first, it was soccer stadiums in Italy. Now it’s the upcoming Grand Prix of Bahrain, which is scheduled to take place in two weeks.
The ‘it’ is that no spectators will be attending due to the Coronavirus threat. Eighty-three cases have been reported in the Gulf state to date.
The disease has been contracted through people traveling from the hard-hit country of Iran–the third most infected region after China and South Korea. So the circuit felt that this was not the right time to host an event with so many people in one place.
In a statement, organizers explained it this way: “Given the continued spread of COVID-19 globally, convening a major sporting event, which is open to the public and allows thousands of international travelers and local fans to interact in close proximity would not be the right thing to do at present.”
Organizers decided not to cancel the race. They explained that “to ensure that neither the sport nor its global supporter base is unduly impacted, the race weekend itself will go ahead as a televised event…. We know how disappointed many will be by this news–especially for those planning to travel to the event…but safety has to remain our utmost priority.”
This decision came after a situation in the nearby United Arab Emirates. The country called a bicycle race after two stages when two Italian riders contracted the Coronavirus. Six additional riders contracted the disease and had to spend time quarantined in their hotel.
This weekend, the Australian Grand Prix will go ahead as scheduled at Albert Park in Melbourne. But with the Bahrain decision made, at issue is what will happen in Vietnam–the location of the third race this season.
With spectators or not, as always, conducted races will be televised to a worldwide audience.
