Coronavirus: Final stages of Tour of UAE cancelled as two Italian team workers test positive for COVID-19

The two remaining stages of the 2020 Tour of UAE were officially cancelled on Thursday night after two Italian staff members on one of the participating teams tested positive for the novel coronavirus - or COVID-19 to give the disease its official name.

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News of the cancellation had already been broken on social media by a number of riders including Chris Froome.

It’s a shame that the #UAETour has been cancelled but public health must come first. We are all awaiting testing and will remain at the hotel until further notice. I hope those affected make a speedy recovery and there aren’t any further cases #coronavirus

— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) February 27, 2020

Well we were all worried about 160k of crosswinds tomorrow but it looks like #Coronavirus blew stronger than the wind 🤣 #UAETour

— Larry Warbasse (@larrywarbasse) February 27, 2020

According to other reports on social media, teams and team staff were being tested for the virus in their hotels.

Teams and team staff are being tested now in their hotel. I’m in a different hotel with media and event staff and we’ll be tested later today (it’s 3.30am Friday here). We’re currently not allowed to leave the hotel. #coronavirus #COVID19 #UAETour

— Sophie Smith (@SophieSmith86) February 27, 2020

In their announcement the UAE Tour organisers said: "The decision has been taken to ensure protection of all the Race's participants," adding that, "safety comes at the top of all priorities."

In the meantime, the Ministry of Health and Prevention said that all the race's participants, administrative staff and organisers will be examined through the continuous periodic screening being conducted, and that all needed procedures, including quarantine measures, will be taken to ensure viral suppression and to curb the spread of the outbreak in coordination with all health and other authorities concerned in the country.

The ministry added that all the necessary precautions to ensure highly efficient preventive measures are being taken, including check-ups and observation of people in contact with patients, to guarantee the protection of the society and its safety and preserve public trust.

On Friday morning, race organisers confirmed that the final results of the race are those obtained after Stage 5. This means that Adam Yates topped the general classification after taking time on Stage 3's summit finish. The cancellation will mean that road.cc's Fantasy Cycling game will be finalised after stage 5 as well.