Italy has seen an outbreak of the Coronavirus, and 11 towns in Italy have now been quarantined due to the deadly virus. Travellers returning to Great Britain have been told to “self-isolate” themselves at home, and worries over the coronavirus’s spread have caused upcoming Six Nations fixtures to be under threat.
Italy’s men’s and women’s rugby teams were set to play fixtures against Ireland. The Italians are also scheduled to play England in the final round of matches. However, all of Irish the games have been postponed due to the coronavirus.
Both England and Ireland are chasing France in the Six Nations table and fans are growing excited for the latest matches in the tournament. This is looking like one of most interesting seasons in years. Rugby fans can use the NairaBet bonus to wager on the latest round of games and bet on the teams they believe will win in the Six Nations.
Monitoring the coronavirus ahead of fixtures
According to Six Nations organisers, they are monitoring the situation in Italy regarding the coronavirus and will make a decision on the matches in the days leading up to the games. The coronavirus’s spread in Italy has seen 11 towns sealed off and much of the country affected by the virus’s outbreak.
Italy’s women were to host Scotland last weekend in the women’s Six Nations. That game was cancelled due to fears over fans spreading the coronavirus.
Italy’s Serie A football league postponed matches last weekend to keep fans from converging on stadiums and cities. It is likely the league will see more postponements this weekend as fears over the spread of the illness grow further. As it stands, the league has given permission for a handful of games to go ahead but behind closed doors and away from fans.
Sports across Asia have been disrupted as well with the World Athletics Indoor Championships being postponed until 2021. It was to be held in Nanjing, China. Formula One has postponed the Chinese Grand Prix and it is likely it could be suspended until next season.
Guinness Pro14 matches postponed
It isn’t just the Six Nations that is under threat but the Guinness Pro14 Celtic league as well. Ospreys and Ulster’s were set to visit Italy on Saturday, February 29 but, both games have been suspended. Ospreys were to play Italy’s Zebre in Parma, while Ulster were to travel to Treviso to clash with Benetton.
It isn’t just the professional level of rugby in Italy that has seen postponements as youth matches for the weekend of February 28 have been put on hold by the Italian Rugby Federation.
There is a fear that the coronavirus could turn into a pandemic as a result of sports fans travelling around the globe to watch their teams play. Italy has reported 300 cases of coronavirus as of February 26. Eleven deaths have been reported, at that time [with the number growing by the day].
Six Nations Coronavirus threat
The Six Nations could postpone games until later in the year. The 2001 edition of the Six Nations had some of its games delayed until September and October due to an outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease in Britain.
It is possible that the tournament’s conclusion could be delayed until the end of the summer.
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