RTL has said it will not be sending its team to Hanoi for the Vietnam Grand Prix due to concerns around the coronavirus, reporting instead from its studio in Cologne.
Following the announcement that the Vietnam GP would go ahead in April, the German broadcaster said in a statement: “The entire production of the live broadcast is moved to Cologne.”
Hanoi is located in the north of Vietnam, 150 kilometres from the Chinese border. A total of 16 infections were discovered throughout the country.
“We have a high level of responsibility to our employees,” said RTL sports director Manfred Loppe. “After careful examination, we believe that in reporting from Hanoi, the risks to their health appear to be too great.
“We came to this decision after querying numerous information points, and the bottom line is that we did not receive what we considered to be a reliable assessment of the situation on site.”
It is currently unknown whether other broadcasters plan to take the same decision.
