This is news that Grand Prix promoter Dorna will have to take seriously. Indeed, if he wishes to launch a 2020 season, even if reduced and concentrated, he may have to abandon the plan to settle permanently in Spain. The peninsula thus announces that it will renounce tourist activities for a period of six months. An economic and social cataclysm for the country which will therefore be closed to external visits until the end of 2020. At best…
Dorna and his boss Carmelo Ezpeleta are working hard to race this year. The paddock is reorganized with a reduced workforce, thousands of tests for Covid-19 have been ordered, and we now have to think about a date and places where we can set up. L'Spain has four meetings on the calendar and therefore has the potential. In 2020, the MotoGP events of Jerez, Catalonia, Aragón and Valencia were to take place there. But here it is… Tourism and the entry of foreigners can only be authorized in six months.
The Spanish government has warned the country's tourism, hospitality, culture and long-distance transport sectors of "huge problems" resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. In these economic sectors, the lockdown should only end at the end of the year, said the Minister of Labor Yolanda Diaz in a television interview. A recovery is expected for the production sector in summer.
The Spanish tourism sector is very concerned. The Minister of Finance and spokesperson for the (left) government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Mary Jesus Montero, said in simple terms: “ Spain will only resume its tourist activities if there is a guarantee of extraordinary security conditions, both for our citizens and for our visitors. »
This could mean that all four MotoGP events in Spain may not take place in 2020.
The Spanish government and Spanish authorities do not hide the fact that when the country's borders are opened to foreign tourists, they will pay particular attention to the origin of the visitors. This view was also confirmed yesterday by the Minister of Finance, Maria Jesus Montero.
But it can be assumed that EU countries will coordinate exactly in June, as Austrian Chancellor Kurz announced almost 14 days ago. At the time, he clarified that borders would only open when a vaccine was available to everyone. And according to experts, it will take until 2021, although some researchers are currently making more optimistic predictions.
The fact is that each country will consider very carefully until the fall whether it will allow tourists or professional groups, such as motor sports teams, from seriously affected countries. Italians have been aware of this for a long time, forming 16 of 42 teams in Grand Prix and representing almost a third of all drivers, i.e. 24. For its part, Spain is one of the countries most seriously affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
