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Opening two races of F1 calendar to go ahead amid coronavirus crisis

:Headline: Opening two races of F1 calendar to go ahead amid coronavirus crisis:
The first race of the 2020 Formula One season will be held in Melbourne on March 15.

Grand Prix organisers insist the opening two rounds of the Formula One season in Australia and Bahrain will go ahead as scheduled.

The season-opening Australian Grand Prix is due to take place on March 15, with the majority of F1 personnel set to travel to Melbourne at the latter end of this week.

In a statement addressing the coronavirus issue, Australian Grand Prix chief executive Andrew Westacott said: "We are all systems go.

"At this stage there is no indication of further travel bans, nor is there any indication that Formula One and the teams will not be arriving as usual.

"Formula One has again confirmed overnight that the Australian Grand Prix is going ahead."

Circuit officials for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is set to take place a week after the opening round in Melbourne on March 22, are confident their race will also go ahead.

F1 personnel who have visited high-risk countries within 14 days of their arrival in the Gulf Kingdom will be subjected to an extensive screening process.

“At this stage there is no indication of further travel bans, nor is there any indication that Formula One and the teams will not be arriving as usual.”
- Australian Grand Prix chief executive Andrew Westacott

A spokesperson for the race said: "The Bahrain International Circuit is working closely with all relevant Government departments, including The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Interior, to mitigate the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

"Ministries have activated a number of public health measures, including but not limited to restricting travel from high-risk areas, introducing an extensive screening programme, and establishing quarantine facilities for suspected cases.

"It is in the context of these initiatives that the BIC is confident its preparations will result in a successful and safe Grand Prix later this month."

However, the MotoGP season has been hit with the first two rounds of the 2020 calendar postponed.

The opening race, the Grand Prix of Qatar from March 6-8, was cancelled on Sunday evening due to travel restrictions imposed to limit the outbreak of coronavirus.

With immediate effect, passengers arriving in Doha on direct flights from Italy, or those having been in Italy in the last two weeks, will be taken into quarantine for 14 days.

The second round in Thailand, which had been scheduled for March 22, has now been postponed.

This week's Moto2 and Moto3 classes will go ahead in Qatar as the riders and teams were already in the Middle Eastern state for the three-day official test at Losail International Circuit.

Golf's Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, which gets under way on Thursday in Doha, is due to go ahead as scheduled.

Monday's Serie A match between Sampdoria and Hellas Verona in Genoa has been postponed following the spread of the virus in Italy.

Six Serie A matches were called off on the weekend, including Juventus' high-profile meeting with Inter Milan.

The league has called an emergency assembly to discuss the impact the postponements are having on the fixture list.

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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool29271166214582
2Manchester CityMan City28183768313757
3Leicester CityLeicester29165858283053
4Chelsea29146951391248
5Manchester UnitedMan Utd29129844301445
6Wolverhampton WanderersWolves29101364134743
7Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd28111073025543
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs29118104740741
9Arsenal2891364036440
10Burnley29116123440-639
11Crystal Palace29109102632-639
12Everton29107123746-937
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2998122541-1635
14Southampton29104153552-1734
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton29611123240-829
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2976163550-1527
17Watford2969142744-1727
18Bournemouth2976162947-1827
19Aston Villa2874173456-2225
20Norwich CityNorwich2956182552-2721
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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool29271166214582
2Manchester CityMan City28183768313757
3Leicester CityLeicester29165858283053
4Chelsea29146951391248
5Manchester UnitedMan Utd29129844301445
6Wolverhampton WanderersWolves29101364134743
7Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd28111073025543
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs29118104740741
9Arsenal2891364036440
10Burnley29116123440-639
11Crystal Palace29109102632-639
12Everton29107123746-937
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2998122541-1635
14Southampton29104153552-1734
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton29611123240-829
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2976163550-1527
17Watford2969142744-1727
18Bournemouth2976162947-1827
19Aston Villa2874173456-2225
20Norwich CityNorwich2956182552-2721
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