North West 200: Race will go ahead until "we're told opposite" - Whyte
- Published
NW200 monitoring developments 'on a daily basis'
North West 200 event director Mervyn Whyte has confirmed the annual Northern Ireland road race is set to go ahead as planned until "we're told opposite".
Whyte has said that organisers of the popular motorcycling road race have taken advice from the public health authorities.
The North West 200 is scheduled to take place between 10 and 16 May.
"At the present time, the North West 200 is going until we're told opposite," Whyte told BBC Sport NI.
The number of positive coronavirus cases in Northern Ireland stands at 18, which includes footballers from Hanover and Linfield and a GAA player from west Belfast club St Gall's, with 246 people tested.
"We're acting responsibly," added Whyte.
"If the health authorities say 'no mass gatherings' we have to take that on board and, as a result, we would make a decision on whether the North West 200 goes or not."
While the event is set to go ahead as planned, Whyte admits that he is "fairly concerned" that the outbreak is expected to "escalate" over the coming weeks and months.
"We have been [concerned] over these last few weeks," he said.
"I know that we're in the initial stages - the information out there from the public health personnel is that it's probably going to escalate over the next few weeks.
Hampshire rider James Hillier during the 2019 North West 200
Risk at NW 200 is 'fairly low'
While the event organisers are taking advice from the public health authorities into consideration, Whyte has received guidance from NI Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride that the risk at outdoor sporting events such as the North West 200 is "fairly low".
"We're taking all that into consideration and looking at it on a daily basis," said Whyte.
"I have had an email back from the Chief Medical Officer to tell me at the present time that the risk at gatherings like the North West 200 - Ireland's largest outdoor sporting event - is fairly low.
"If that changes, we'll make a decision on what that advice is at the end of the day."
Although several sporting events are being played behind closed doors, Whyte admits that it would be "very difficult" to either stage the race without fans or postpone the event altogether.
"We have looked at postponing the event itself, we've spent some time on that over the last few days but it would be very difficult to put that into force."