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Effects of coronavirus on professional races

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I'm going to take a wild guess and assume that those arguing that the races should continue do not fall within the suspected high risk group and are unlikely to be in the area when the race happens?
Yes, I am not in the high risk category, as in I am statistically very unlikely to die as a result of it, although if I were to get infected I'd probably not be able to get my degree this summer. So, rather not, but I'm not going to stress out about it. I'm more concerned about reports that our faculty may have to close indefinitely because of a shortage of face masks! (Thanks everyone for panicking and buying them en-masse even though they don't even prevent infection)
 
Yes, I am not in the high risk category, as in I am statistically very unlikely to die as a result of it, although if I were to get infected I'd probably not be able to get my degree this summer. So, rather not, but I'm not going to stress out about it. I'm more concerned about reports that our faculty may have to close indefinitely because of a shortage of face masks! (Thanks everyone for panicking and buying them en-masse even though they don't even prevent infection)
I hope they don't close hospitals down so people with more serious health risks die cause they can't get treatment in time.
 
Also, please have a look at this map:
https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2...n_italia_in_tempo_reale-249371656/?refresh_ce

19 cases in Tuscany, that's 5 cases per 1 million inhabitants. Yes, there are most likely more infected people than the numbers show, but also, the reaction is way overblown. But that's been my gripe for the last 2-3 weeks as mass panic ensued.
Again, it's irrelevant. Fans will move from everywhere in Italy to attend the race. Add the hundreds of riders, mechanics, organizers, media people, etc. At least half of the people involved in the races will come from different regions, possibly regions with a lot of cases.

You guys keep saying the reaction is overblown (and I concur it is, hoarding masks and storing all the food you can buy is crazy) but have you been to the hospitals in Italy? Do you guys really believe a cycling race is more important than a potential massive outbreak of a virus that will force 5 out of 100 people in hospitals? Every virologist, head physician, hospital manager in Italy is currently saying we need to take every possible measure to contain it. Because the situation is already critical.

Almost 25% of the population in Italy is 65+ old. Which means 15 million people in Italy are 65 or older. We're looking at millions of people requiring hospital treatment in a one month time frame if we don't take measures. Not sustainable.
 
Yes, I am not in the high risk category, as in I am statistically very unlikely to die as a result of it, although if I were to get infected I'd probably not be able to get my degree this summer. So, rather not, but I'm not going to stress out about it. I'm more concerned about reports that our faculty may have to close indefinitely because of a shortage of face masks! (Thanks everyone for panicking and buying them en-masse even though they don't even prevent infection)
No image being in a high risk group, or even knowing someone in a high risk group, and they become seriously ill or die because someone they came into contact with went to an event that should really have been stopped.

It's really easy for those of us, and that includes me, who are very unlikely to become seriously ill, to brush away this as nothing but the flu. The actual affect of this virus on different risk groups isn't known and the virus isn't endemic.

Masks probably increase transmission rates.
 
Again, it's irrelevant. Fans will move from everywhere in Italy to attend the race. Add the hundreds of riders, mechanics, organizers, media people, etc. At least half of the people involved in the races will come from different regions, possibly regions with a lot of cases.

You guys keep saying the reaction is overblown (and I concur it is, hoarding masks and storing all the food you can buy is crazy) but have you been to the hospitals in Italy? Do you guys really believe a cycling race is more important than a potential massive outbreak of a virus that will force 5 out of 100 people in hospitals? Every virologist, head physician, hospital manager in Italy is currently saying we need to take every possible measure to contain it. Because the situation is already critical.

Almost 25% of the population in Italy is 65+ old. Which means 15 million people in Italy are 65 or older. We're looking at millions of people requiring hospital treatment in a one month time frame if we don't take measures. Not sustainable.
You are absolutely right, but I feel other measures can be taken instead of canceling the events, maybe reach out to the fans and ask them not to come to the race or they will have to cancel subsequent races. Inform those who do come to keep their distance. Of course, alternatively you could cancel all sporting events in mainland Europe for the next month or 2, as pretty much every country has a decent number of cases now (i.e. similar to Tuscany).
 
Again, it's irrelevant. Fans will move from everywhere in Italy to attend the race. Add the hundreds of riders, mechanics, organizers, media people, etc. At least half of the people involved in the races will come from different regions, possibly regions with a lot of cases.

You guys keep saying the reaction is overblown (and I concur it is, hoarding masks and storing all the food you can buy is crazy) but have you been to the hospitals in Italy? Do you guys really believe a cycling race is more important than a potential massive outbreak of a virus that will force 5 out of 100 people in hospitals? Every virologist, head physician, hospital manager in Italy is currently saying we need to take every possible measure to contain it. Because the situation is already critical.

Almost 25% of the population in Italy is 65+ old. Which means 15 million people in Italy are 65 or older. We're looking at millions of people requiring hospital treatment in a one month time frame if we don't take measures. Not sustainable.
This is a solid take.

Main question for me woudl be how many people are getting tested at this point compared to how many cases are getting tested positive.
 
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You are absolutely right, but I feel other measures can be taken instead of canceling the events, maybe reach out to the fans and ask them not to come to the race or they will have to cancel subsequent races. Inform those who do come to keep their distance. Of course, alternatively you could cancel all sporting events in mainland Europe for the next month or 2, as pretty much every country has a decent number of cases now (i.e. similar to Tuscany).
People don't listen though. Simply requesting people don't do something as it endangers their health doesn't work. Look how many people still eat and drink to excess, smoke, do no exercise etc.


They certainly could do that (although anything that's self contained can be done without spectators, football, rugby, basketball etc.). Road cycling is a particularly tricky case as it draws spectators and participants globally (depending on the race) and takes place across long routes through many different places. Any outbreak would be much harder to contain than say, an outbreak at Clydebank F.C.
 
This is a solid take.

Main question for me woudl be how many people are getting tested at this point compared to how many cases are getting tested positive.
That very much depends on where you are, but as far as I'm aware only South Korea are making an effort to test the general population and that's still based on voluntary attendance at a testing location. In some places, some states in the US for example, it's almost impossible to get tested unless you are exhibiting severe symptoms. I would not be surprised if that's the case in most places.
 
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Ouch, Boonen, you don't actually think we care more about a bike race than about other people, do you?
Well at least I don't, I'm simply going to watch football... :)
I'm not in the "high risk category", but I have grandparents who are...
There are probably just different experiences in our lives which make us judge situations differently. For instance, the media around here has Biden/Sanders, refugees, elections on top, the Guardian and the Times put Corona first.
Also, when I was at the start of the Deutschland Tour, there were like a hundred people loosely gathered, applauding politely... I know people in Italy and France are more enthusiastic about cycling, but in my head there's probably not a huge amount of people coming from all of the country just to watch some riders for a few seconds, if they are told not to. I might be wrong there, though.
But if the teams don't want to go themselves, that will decide things anyway.
 
I'm going to take a wild guess and assume that those arguing that the races should continue do not fall within the suspected high risk group and are unlikely to be in the area when the race happens?
Siena isn't far from here and also the first stage of Tirreno. But I would have said the same also if it would have been in front of my house, the tourists continue to come here from everywhere and are a mass way but way bigger than every race attendance, still we had only a single infected in Florence and was imported from Singapore and not related to the mass of tourists.
 
Ouch, Boonen, you don't actually think we care more about a bike race than about other people, do you?
Well at least I don't, I'm simply going to watch football... :)
I'm not in the "high risk category", but I have grandparents who are...
There are probably just different experiences in our lives which make us judge situations differently. For instance, the media around here has Biden/Sanders, refugees, elections on top, the Guardian and the Times put Corona first.
Also, when I was at the start of the Deutschland Tour, there were like a hundred people loosely gathered, applauding politely... I know people in Italy and France are more enthusiastic about cycling, but in my head there's probably not a huge amount of people coming from all of the country just to watch some riders for a few seconds, if they are told not to. I might be wrong there, though.
But if the teams don't want to go themselves, that will decide things anyway.
No, not really, but it's very easy to be dismissive of something that has little to no direct effect on you. We see it all the time.

Comparing the Deutschland Tour to SB or MSR isn't really a good comparison.


Siena isn't far from here and also the first stage of Tirreno. But I would have said the same also if it would have been in front of my house, the tourists continue to come here from everywhere and are a mass way but way bigger than every race attendance, still we had only a single infected in Florence and was imported from Singapore and not related to the mass of tourists.
So, low risk then..?
 
This is a solid take.

Main question for me woudl be how many people are getting tested at this point compared to how many cases are getting tested positive.
This is the document @Nirvana posted in another topic: http://www.protezionecivile.gov.it/...arzo2020/57f6b925-77fa-42de-b9cc-1274639de77e

So roughly 1 out of 10 tests is positive in Italy. Bear in mind that until a few days ago even people without symptoms (but with possible connections to positive cases) were tested. Now only people with symptoms are tested.
 
Quarantine must be terrible for those not yet infected since the chance of now getting infected goes up. Just like the cases with those ships in quarantine where eventually a lot of people got infected.

Yeah, that was Hansen's concern as well when feltet.dk spoke to him; getting infected and risking having to stay even longer. And then there's the boredom, and the fact that riders don't really have ways to keep their form.

But anyway, looks like BORA at least are expecting SB to go on and are intending to ride, as they've just posted their roster on social media.
 
Think the events at the UAE tour have spooked riders and teams ( quite rightly ) - Their needs to be a calming down period but some of these fears can be alleviated if all members of teams are tested a few days before races.
I don't think so - surely the fear is not that the teams will spread the virus but rather that spectators will - whether it is to riders or other spectators.
 
Feb 29, 2020
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Think the events at the UAE tour have spooked riders and teams ( quite rightly ) - Their needs to be a calming down period but some of these fears can be alleviated if all members of teams are tested a few days before races.

Testing doesn’t help as you will most likely come out false negative if you haven’t developed any symptoms yet
 

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