Valentino Rossi takes to social media in midst of Coronavirus

VALENTINO Rossi and Andrea Dovisiozo are just two of the MotoGP grid who have taken to social media to try and spread awareness in an attempt to prevent further spread of Coronavirus.

The hashtag used, #DistantiMaUniti is literally translated to ‘distant but united’, and is being used to highlight that just because the Italian public is being urged to keep apart, they are still as one.

Italy is one of the hardest-hit European nations after widespread restrictions have been placed on the country in a bid to quell the spread of the disease further.

Major sporting events in the country are either being cancelled or being played out in empty stadiums. Many of the country's automotive manufacturing plants are also being closed as a precaution.

The COVID-19 virus, as it is correctly known, has also hit the MotoGP world championship hard, with many of the teams from MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 having a base in the country. There are also a number of key staff that works within MotoGP commercial rights holder, Dorna, and the FIM who hail from Italy.

Even the young band of riders from Valentino Rossi’s young rider academy have joined in, with the voices of Peco Bagnia and Franco Morbidelli joining in.

As it stands the start of the 2020 MotoGP season has been hit hard by the global epidemic, with only three of the opening seven rounds currently able to go ahead. That situation though is ever-changing, and the number of rounds could have changed again by the time you have read this article.