Ferrari take measures to combat coronavirus outbreak in Italy

Ferrari management have taken steps to ensure none of their employees at Maranello are at risk of coming in contact with the spreading coronavirus, which has already claimed seven lives in Italy.

Italy is the latest country to be affected by the pandemic, with half of Serie A’s planned fixtures for the weekend cancelled due to worries about the gathering of large crowds.

Formula 1 has already been affected by the coronavirus in that the Chinese Grand Prix has been cancelled, with the virus being originally spread in China.

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So far, there have been 229 cases of exposure in Italy, and Ferrari are doing all they can to keep their employees safe, including closing down museum tours and minimising travel for the workers where possible.

“The most affected regions are Lombardy and Veneto, but also in Emilia-Romagna there are 9 sick people,” La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.

“As requested by the local authorities, the museums of Maranello and Modena have been closed and Ferrari has forbidden access to employees who are residents or who have visited the areas most affected by the infection.”

With the Chinese GP already cancelled, there has also been concern about the Vietnam Grand Prix due to the outbreak in Asia.

Spain’s El Confidencial newspaper reports that, out of the 22 countries initially on the F1 calendar for 2020, only seven of them are yet to report a coronavirus case - Monaco, the Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Austria, Hungary, Brazil, Mexico.

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