Fourteen infected among Formula 1 teams who were in Portimão

14 positive cases of Covid-19 have been detected among members of the Formula 1 teams who were in Portimão for the Portuguese Grand Prix last weekend.

The information was given by the regional health delegate, Ana Cristina Guerreiro, at a press conference to assess the epidemiological situation in the Algarve earlier today. The newly infected ones, all foreigners, are “members of teams that came to work for Formula 1”, said the official, saying that they were all now in isolation after having tested positive. In total, more than three thousand tests were carried out on the teams involved in Formula 1.

Most of the cases were detected by the testing teams “who were part of the contingency plan for the event”, installed at Autódromo do Algarve, but there were “others who, due to symptoms, resorted to health services”. These infections were detected between 20 and 29 October.

“There are no known cases among the public, for now. If that happens, we have a way of tracking close contacts because the organization has been asked to keep the identity of people in the seats on the bench,” she said, admitting that “what can escaping control will be the bench and 1 and 2, where it was found that the public left their seats”. This change of seats “did not work very well because the plan was made with numbered tickets, but people moved from their seats to others higher to have better visibility”, pointed out Ana Cristina Guerreiro, noting that although they were requested to stay in their own seats. “There should have been more rigor.”

At the same press conference it was also announced that 15 Portimonense players were tested positive for Covid. The infection of two of the athletes was already known before the club’s trip to Madeira for the game on October 17th, and for that reason they stayed at home. But, on the teams return to Portimão another 13 tested positive. Now, the whole team is in isolation. Health authorities are now obliged to contact the airline the squad travelled on, in order to contact the other passengers travelling on the planes.