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Effects of coronavirus on professional races

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Also, and this seems like it is an unknown factoid to many, those people have to be infected themselves in order to be able to infect others...

Yes, but the thing about Covid-19 is, that you can be asymptomatic for up to 2 weeks, so you can easily infect other people, while feeling absolutely fine yourself.

Symptoms and the ability to infect do not go hand in hand.
 
I agree that the risk of riders catching the virus from fans is minimal. However, I’m guessing the “1.5 m for 15 min” needed for probable transmission calculation did NOT take into account the circumstance of one person screaming at the top of their lungs directly into the face of another person (the rider), who at that moment are gulping in every molecule of air they can possibly get into their lungs! Certainly doesn’t sound ideal if you’re trying to stay healthy!

Exactly.

Someone infected, shouting into your open mouth from 1 meter away is not exactly ideal, and very different circumstances from what the general distance recommendations are meant for.
 
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Yes. ITV said it is a mixture of rider and backroom staff/race support staff, but that they are only repeating rumours (although they do sound confident in what they are saying). Results to be announced tomorrow.

Whatever your opinion on the validity of the rules, to not cover your face while screaming support for riders or refusing to wear a mask (as Nans Peters reportedly did for his stage victory interview) is the height of idiocy for someone who cares about the sport.

Astana came back all negative... Insert clinic joke about there being a first time for everything.

seriously though, I’m glad they have stayed safe.
 
These tests are pure luck though. One team being negative doesn't mean they took better precautions. They should have tested them at the start and end of Tour only. Honestly if they start booting teams it's going to turn into a farce. Better just to cancel the Tour at that point.
 
One wrong conclusion could be -As all the riders tested negative then it is ok to scream at them during the race.
What the results show that staff have contact and are not isolated from the outside world . Its not a bubble with the staff
The Race Director testing positive is also not a good example
4 out of ~650 at least indicates a lower spread
 
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Maybe this isn’t done as much as earlier in the pandemic, but wouldn’t the normal contact-tracing protocols after detecting a positive case be to quarantine. for 7-10 days, anyone who was in close contact with the infected person(s)? Or at least have those folks who had significant contact tested for the next several days in case they are in an incubation phase? If one of the four positive cases involved, let’s say, an asst. DS or a team masseuse, one would think that’s close enough contact with riders that the team’s riders should be tested regularly rather than wait till next weekend? It’s a moot point, I guess, since I know the Tour is not going to do that (they will stick with rest-day testing only) but wondering if epidemiologists would say they should?
 
Maybe this isn’t done as much as earlier in the pandemic, but wouldn’t the normal contact-tracing protocols after detecting a positive case be to quarantine. for 7-10 days, anyone who was in close contact with the infected person(s)? Or at least have those folks who had significant contact tested for the next several days in case they are in an incubation phase? If one of the four positive cases involved, let’s say, an asst. DS or a team masseuse, one would think that’s close enough contact with riders that the team’s riders should be tested regularly rather than wait till next weekend? It’s a moot point, I guess, since I know the Tour is not going to do that (they will stick with rest-day testing only) but wondering if epidemiologists would say they should?
Sure but guess what is the Ineos staffer that tested positive is going to say. Hey I hugged the masseur from Jumbo-Visma! :tearsofjoy:
 

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