Tour de France on coronavirus red alert
NICE: Tour de France ‘Grand Depart’ host city Nice scrambled to impose tighter health protocols on Thursday as the region was reclassified as a Covid-19 ‘red zone’ while four members of one team were sent home after positive pre-race tests.
With contenders mulling the likely sprint finish on the Mediterranean city’s celebrated seafront Promenade des Anglais, it was announced only a few dozen fans could get to see the race start today.
Authorities in the chic seaside town decided Thursday’s team parade and fan park could only host 1,000 spectators, leaving the vast downtown Place Massena almost deserted for the show with thousands of fans packed outside large blacked out barriers.
The Alpes-Maritimes region where Nice is situated was reclassified as a Covid-19 red zone, along with 18 other French departments in a decision from French Prime Minister Jean Castex.
On Thursday evening, Belgian team Lotto said it had sent four of their entourage home after two of them tested ‘non-negative’ for their PCR nasal swab Covid-19 tests. Any team that has two riders test positive will be expelled from the Tour.
Today’s Promenade des Anglais start line will allow just 100 spectators, reserved for municipality staff “who worked so hard to get this to happen,” regional prefect Bernard Gonzalez said.
Anyone involved in the Tour — riders and the rest of the caravan — have undergone nasal tests for coronavirus symptoms.
The mountainous 21-day race starts today with a run around the outskirts of Nice but avoids the low Alps behind it until stage two, meaning the first stage should end in a mass bunch sprint.