Walkinshaw Andretti United team boss Ryan Walkinshaw said his team is doing what they can to mitigate the threat of coronavirus.
Three Formula 1 team personnel – two from the Haas F1 Team and one from McLaren – were self-isolated having shown symptoms of the COVID-19 flu strain on the eve of this weekend’s Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix.
A further two from Haas have reportedly been sent back to their hotel on Thursday morning having shown flu-like symptoms.
The Formula 1 paddock is currently awaiting results from tests to see whether any team members have the virus. Already there have been suggestions made by Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton, that the event could be cancelled.
The Supercars paddock sits adjacent to the Formula 1 fraternity. For those teams, it’s a wait-and-see approach.
Speaking with select media on Thursday afternoon, Walkinshaw said his team is doing what it can to prevent the possibility of infection.
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“I think we’ve put in a fair few measures,” said Walkinshaw.
“Our top priority is to look after our team, our staff and our crew. We’ve taken all the appropriate measures that we can to look after our own guys.
“I’m sure there are far wiser people and a far higher authority than us to be making a decision on whether the event can go ahead or not.
“They’ve evaluated the risks and we support every single safety measure that people are putting in place and any further safety measures that need to be put in place for this event and future ones.”
Currently there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the wider paddock, nor have there been any team personnel isolated in the Supercars fraternity due to coronavirus fears.
Asked whether it might affect further rounds of the championship, Walkinshaw said, “You’re always trying to evaluate it.
“We’ve just got to make sure we look after our team, our partners and everyone else we engage with and take precautions to reduce the risk of infection and then transmission.
“We’ll just keep making sure we wash our hands.”
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