The Assen MotoGP round is set to be postponed as the ban on all public events in the Netherlands has been extended.
After a slew of cancellations and postponements caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a revised calendar saw the Dutch MotoGP round in Assen scheduled to start the season.
However, the Dutch government elected to extend the ban based on advice given from the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) which states that “allowing events to take place poses a real risk of the virus spreading too quickly and too widely”.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte said this action was undertaken as the country could ill afford to take any risks with regards to the outbreak.
“Events will not take place until September 1. We are therefore extending that decision by three months, from June 1 to September 1.
“We are doing this because we can’t take the risks for the next three months and because we want to do justice to the need for clarity on the part of the organisers. That also means definitely no professional football until 1 September. With all the consequences this crisis has for the health of people, for companies and for society as a whole, we cannot escape making this sacrifice. I hope and expect that people will understand that.”
With the announcement of postponement imminent, the next event scheduled will be the Finnish Grand Prix at the newly-constructed Kymi Ring. Time will tell if this will actually come to fruition.