Cofidis quarantined in UAE until March 14
Team Cofidis cycling team will be quarantined for 10 more days in the United Arab Emirates following the outbreak of coronavirus that ended the UAE Tour, a team official said on Wednesday.
“We have just learned that we are officially quarantined, a priori until March 14,” Thierry Vittu, the president of Cofidis’ competition team, posted on Facebook.
The Facebook post said:
“Hello everyone,
We just learned that we are officially quarantined, a priori until March 14. Certainly the deadline is far away (although it is only 10 days) but in a way, it is a kind of relief. Indeed, as I have had the opportunity to say and write it, what was difficult to live so far was the lack of deadline and the permanent expectation of a close outcome that never happened …. It was a source of anxiety and stress.
Now we know what to expect, and even if the confinement in a room continues, everyone will succeed in finding occupations, distractions, activities …
We will remain united with each other, aware that we are living a collective adventure, that we would have liked not to live, but which will teach us about ourselves and about others. We already tell ourselves that in a few months, we will laugh between us … proof that we are already planning!
Let us remain optimistic and positive and I thank you for all your messages of support which make our hearts warm.”
Nathan has has decided to get on with things and has publicly appealed for a bike to train on while in quarantine:
Does anybody in Abu Dhabi have a bike I can borrow to use on an indoor trainer for an undisclosed amount of time? Doesn’t need to be special, just one that can work on an ergo
— Nathan Haas (@NathanPeterHaas) March 3, 2020
The UAE Tour was abandoned last Thursday after two Italian staff members with one of the teams tested positive for the disease.
On Tuesday the UAE announced six more related cases, saying that two Russians, two Italians, one German and a Colombian had been infected.
On Monday, Vittu had tweeted that the team was being “held hostage”. On Wednesday he said the news of a definite date was welcome.
“Of course the deadline is far away (although it’s only 10 days) but in a way, it’s a kind of relief,” he said. “What has been difficult to live with so far has been the absence of a deadline and the constant expectation of a close outcome that never came.”
“Now we know where we stand, and even if the confinement to our rooms continues, everyone will manage to find occupations, distractions, activities…”
Cyclists, team staff and some media were put under lockdown at hotels in Abu Dhabi where they underwent screening, with most cleared to leave over the past few days.
Cofidis is one of four teams still quarantined, along with another French outfit Groupama-FDJ and the UAE Team and Russian-backed team Gazprom.
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