The Giro d’Italia has tightened COVID-19 rules for the race after Remco Evenepoel tested positive for the virus. To protect drivers, wearing face masks is now mandatory in areas such as registration, finish lines and anti-doping.
The UCI scrapped its COVID-19 protocol at the start of the 2023 season and teams and race organizers followed suit. Drivers no longer have to undergo mandatory tests before and during races, mask requirements, social distancing and other restrictions are largely abandoned.
The teams followed their own internal rules, with Jumbo Visma riders and staff wearing face masks during the first week of the Giro d’Italia. Most teams are now expected to adopt stricter rules, with Geraint Thomas confirming the Ineos Grenadiers will return to the rules the team followed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Evenepoel tested positive in a team test ahead of the rest day on Sunday night. His Soudal-QuickStep ruled he should abandon the race, insisting they “didn’t want to take any chances” on the young Belgian’s health.
Evenepoel is the sixth rider to drop out of the race due to a positive COVID-19 test. Rigoberto Urán (EF Education-EasyPost) also tested positive on Sunday. Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), Nicola Conci (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Giovanni Aleotti (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Clément Russo (Arkéa-Samsic) tested positive early in the first week.
Giro d’Italia race director Mauro Vegni confirmed the stricter rules to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“The original protocol is no longer in effect and the World Health Organization no longer classifies COVID-19 as an emergency. That means each team can run tests if they want to,” Vegni said.
“They can decide whether they want to stop a driver or not. There have been confirmed cases, but I wouldn’t argue that there have been other cases that may not have been confirmed.
Vegni confirmed that the Giro d’Italia was concerned about the COVID-19 cases and confirmed the rule change.
“Maybe we all stopped focusing on that too soon,” Vegni said. “We have to be more vigilant and we start this week.
“We will reintroduce the rules that have been removed, such as the obligation to wear a mask when in contact with the drivers at the start and finish.” We will not restrict the way people can work on the race, but whoever wants to interact with the drivers must wear a mask. Should we have done it earlier? Probably.”
Giro d’Italia organizers confirmed that face masks will be mandatory in all contact areas with riders, including team bus parking (at the start and finish), in the podium area for signature control, in the podium area for the podium ceremony and in the post-race -Mixed area zone, finish line area, press conference area and the anti-doping control area.