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- Tour de France in doubt after Covid red alert issued in Nice
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The WHO is setting up a committee of independent experts to consider changing the rules on declaring an international health emergency, following criticism of its Covid-19 pandemic response.
The world body declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) over the new coronavirus on 30 January – at which time the respiratory disease had infected fewer than 100 people outside China, and claimed no lives beyond its borders.
One of Europe’s most iconic event, the Tour de France, is in doubt after the race’s starting region, the Alpes-Maritimes, was put on red alert.
The Guardian’s Jeremy Whittle reports that tensions surrounding the race ramped up further still on Thursday evening after the Lotto-Soudal team announced two of their team’s support staff has tested “non-negative” for Covid-19 and had been sent home from Nice. “Safety remains priority number one,” the statement read.
Related: Tour de France in doubt after Covid red alert issued before Grand Départ in Nice
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