Isle of Man government issues statement over coronavirus TT fears

The Isle of Man government says it is closely monitoring the developments of the Covid-19 coronavirus as its rapid global spread threatens to bring global motorsport to a standstill.

The 2020 Isle of Man TT kicks off on May 30 and runs until June 12 but the government has moved now to confirm it is staying abreast of the situation and the potential implications the virus has on teams, competitors and spectators travelling from overseas.

“The Isle of Man Government is carefully monitoring the Island’s position regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus) with a cross-government working group established to regularly review the changing situation,” a statement reads.

“While the threat to the public in the Isle of Man remains low, a number of future contingency scenarios are being considered. This is usual practice and is in line with the WHO advice for preparations in case of a pandemic.

“The risk is low and preparations for this year’s TT remain on schedule. Work will continue as usual in order to ensure another successful TT. 

“The Organisers, in partnership with the Department for Enterprise and the Isle of Man Government and in line with experts in the UK, will continue to monitor the situation.

Compared to other sports, motorsport stands to be significantly affected by new rules being introduced that place restrictions on travel in and out of certain countries – including Japan and Italy – due to its frequent global movements and international paddock.

The Qatar MotoGP class opener has already been cancelled because anyone travelling from Italy must abide by a 14-day quarantine period, while today the Thailand government moved to postpone round two in Buriram because it is a large public gathering.

For now, the UK only has fairly relaxed restrictions on movement but this could be subject to change as the virus is expected to spread nationally over the next few weeks.