F1 News
FIA Awards ceremony in trouble? Virus outbreak could cause headaches
This year's FIA awards ceremony could be in dispute because of a virus outbreak in Rwanda. The FIA are closely monitoring the situation, Motorsport.com reports.
Marburg virus outbreak in Rwanda
The aforementioned virus is very dangerous. "It is highly virulent and causes haemorrhagic fever, with a fatality ratio of up to 88%. It is in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly, with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise," the World Health Organisation report.
Therefore, this outbreak could cause a headache for the motorsport governing body, as the FIA awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in Kigali this year on 13 December. This will be a special occasion for the federation, as it is their 120th anniversary.
A partial travel ban has been introduced to prevent people from leaving the country, and the CDC (US Centres for Disease Control) also recommends reconsidering non-essential travel.
No changes to FIA awards ceremony for now
The FIA plans to proceed with the award ceremony for now. "We are monitoring the situation closely in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Rwanda. At present, we are proceeding as planned," an FIA spokesperson said about the matter.
This article was written in collaboration with Cas van de Kleut
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!