Bahrain GP Grand Prix without audience due to Corona

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DUBAI (Reuters) - The Bahrain Grand Prix car race, scheduled for later this March, will be held without an audience and attendees will be restricted to only the race participants "to preserve the safety of citizens, residents and fans of this sport", organizers said on Sunday.

This decision is a blow to the important tourism sector in the Gulf state.

Bahrain is set to host the second race of the Formula 1 world championship race on March 22.

 

Bahrain revealed that there are 83 cases of HIV infection on its soil, saying that most of them have previously traveled to Iran.

"Organizing a major sporting event open to the public and allowing thousands of travelers from around the world and the local audience to interact closely will not be the right step at this time," the Bahrain International Circuit said.

"In the interest of not affecting the sport and its mass base around the world as a result, the activities of race days will be televised as usual."

As part of the precautionary measures, two concerts that were scheduled for the race days were also canceled.

 

The organizers of the race halted ticket sales on Saturday, as part of an assessment of the situation.

Bahrain asked travelers coming to it who had previously visited Italy, South Korea, Egypt or Lebanon to enter a quarantine for two weeks.

Bahrain also stopped flights to some areas, fearing the spread of the virus.

The Grand Prix is the largest international sporting event hosted by Bahrain, and in 2019 it attracted a record audience of 97,000 fans during the three days of the race, including 34,000 on race day (Sunday).

Tourism is an important component of the Bahraini economy.

The Gulf region hosts two Formula 1 season races, as Abu Dhabi hosts the closing race of the season in November.

The Formula 1 season of the Australian Grand Prix will start on March 15.