Teams will be withdrawn from the Tour de France if two riders or staff show symptoms or test positive for Covid-19 under strict protocols from race organisers.
However the race, which starts in Nice on August 28th, will continue even if there is a confirmed case of coronavirus in the peloton according to an 18-page document shared with teams this week.
“If two persons or more from the same team present strongly suspect symptoms or have tested positive for Covid-19 the team in question will be expelled from the Tour de France,” states the document, which has been obtained by the cycling website VeloNews.
“Its riders will not be authorised to start the Tour de France (or the next stage) and the team’s personnel will have their accreditation withdrawn.”
All team members will have to enter a “bubble” three days before the race by passing two Covid-19 tests – and everyone in the Tour entourage will be tested again on both rest days, September 7th and 14th.
Under the strict guidelines from the race organisers, ASO, team doctors will be required to gauge the health of every rider and staff member every day by using a health checklist that tracks any symptoms of possible infection, such as fever, coughing, shortness of breath, abnormal aches and fatigue.
Doctors will also have to rank symptoms as “moderately” or “strongly” suspect, and share the information with the race medical staff and Covid czar.
According to VeloNews, the document states that the ultimate goal is “to safeguard the health of riders, team personnel and other people involved in the Tour de France and to guarantee that the event can go ahead.”
Other new rules include the use of face masks before and after stages, including inside team buses and cars, press conferences held online and riders not being allowed to interact with fans. – Guardian
