The inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix will go ahead as planned on April 5, a local official for the city of Hanoi has claimed.
Questions about the race had been raised in the wake of the neighbouring Chinese GP being postponed due to the ongoing Coronavirus Covid-19 outbreak.
Indeed, an area less than 30 miles from Vietnam’s capital was put under quarantine just last week as the virus crosses the border.
However: “The time for the F1 race will not be postponed or delayed,” Tran Trung Hieu, deputy director of Hanoi’s tourism department told Vietnamese state media.
“Although this is a sports event, it has a very huge impact on Vietnam and Hanoi’s tourism and all measures will be taken to ensure the safety of the event.”
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Sport, in general, has been hit hard in the region during the outbreak which has now killed almost 1,900 people with 73,000 cases diagnosed globally.
Formula E cancelled their race in Sanya next month, while Singapore and Hong Kong both cancelled their Rugby 7’s tournaments due to the virus.
In Vietnam, 16 cases have been found but the construction of the new semi-permanent street circuit has continued, entering the final stages with grandstands now being built around the track.