Australian Grand Prix won't hold behind closed doors - Organisers

The Organisers of the Australian Grand Prix has refused to bar spectators from attending the first Formula 1(F1) race of the season in Melbourne.

With the second race of the season in Bahrain set to be stagged behind closed doors after Sunday's announcement, Australian F1 chiefs are set to defy the odds by taking precautionary measures against the deadly coronavirus. a

A number of sporting events have been cancelled, postponed or played behind closed doors as a result of the outbreak which has hit about 100 countries in the world.

"Not at all," says Australian Grand Prix Corporation boss Andrew Westacott to Melbourne radio station SEN when asked if barring fans was being considered.

"When you look at 86 000 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last night, and the footy the week after, we've got to go around things sensibly and keep moving on through life while taking the necessary precautions."

Should the Australian government go-ahead to bar flights from Italy, staff from the two Italian teams could be affected, although most F1 teams are already in Australia or en route, including powerhouse Ferrari and Alpha Tauri from their bases in Italy.

According to News 24, the Italian government has initiated a lockdown in some cities in a bid to halt the spread of the virus.

However, Australia still grants travellers from Italy entry with more stringent health checks.

"The interesting thing is the Italian freight. The Alpha Tauri cars and the Ferrari cars are on their way from Melbourne (airport) as we speak, so it's really good. The key personnel are on their planes," said Westacott.

He said the only Ferrari people not arriving from Italy were drivers Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, who were heading from Switzerland and France respectively.

"All the others are on their way, and we're expecting (them) in the next 12 to 24 hours."

Westacott added that ticket sales were "very strong" with more than 300,000 fans usually flocking to Albert Park.

Victoria state Health Minister Jenny Mikakos told media the fact there had been no reported cases of community transmission of the virus meant the race could go ahead.

"At this point in time our advice around the grand prix and other public mass gathering events remains unchanged," she said.

News 24