PORTUGAL RECONSIDERS ALLOWING FAN S AT GP

Portugal's health authority said on Friday it was reconsidering whether to allow fans into sports events, including next week's Formula One Grand Prix for which thousands of tickets had been sold, as it is trying to contain a surge in COVID-19 infections. The director of the circuit in Portimao, in the country's southern Algarve region, said in August around 28,000 tickets had already been sold but warned fans would not be allowed in if the pandemic worsened. The start of the Formula One season was pushed back to July from March due to the pandemic. Races have been held with teams operating in isolated bubbles and with regular testing. The total number of races was cut to 17 from the record 22 originally envisaged and the first eight of the season were held without spectators. A few hours earlier, Vietnam's first Formula One grand prix was cancelled due to the pandemic. The Vietnamese Grand Prix was originally scheduled to take place in April on the streets of Hanoi.