A further increase in COVID-19 cases in and around Nice has pushed the host city for the Tour de France into a so-called red zone, forcing local authorities to further lock down the race and protect the riders as well as the public from the risk of contagion.
Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme previously said he was against holding the race behind closed doors but accepted that crowds would have to be strictly limited at the starts and finishes of stages and on the categorised climbs during stages 1 and 2 around Nice. Blackout panels will transform the start and finish into closed areas. On Thursday evening, only 1,000 people were allowed to attend the Tour de France team presentation.
According to the Alpes-Maritimes health authorities, the number of new cases diagnosed in the past seven days has reached 97 per 100,000 population. French prime minister Jean Castex classified 19 different French departments as red zones, making the wearing of masks obligatory.
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Only people on bikes and on foot, equipped with a mask, will be authorized to access the Rimiez coast on Saturday and the Colmiane, Turini, Quatre Chemins and Eze passes on Sunday.
"Access to the climbs by vehicles will be prohibited. A public order means the police will have to do everything so that spectators don't gather at the foot of the climbs," the Nice police chief Bernard Gonzalez said in a special press conference at the Tour de France permanence, with Prudhomme and the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi.
"We went into the red zone this morning but we were not caught off guard. We have known for at least 10 days that we will move from a tight system to an even tighter system," Prudhomme said.
Gonzales explained that the Grand Depart will be severely limited to two stands for spectators, each with 50 people and with physical distancing. The stands are reserved for the city of Nice, "to reward those who worked to organize this Tour."
He said the start will be "almost behind closed doors" and said, "If I have one piece of advice to give to spectators, it is to watch the climbs of the passes on television."
Estrosi has always supported the Tour de France in Nice but now wants to ensure the race does not worsen the COVID-19 pandemic in his city.
"The safest place in terms of health precautions, is on the Tour de France, in Nice," he suggested.
"We want zero mistakes by Monday (when the race leaves Nice), and I hope for ASO and Christian Prudhomme the same in Paris, in three weeks. We want to show viewers around the world that we are beyond reproach."
Similar strict measures could be enforced for other stages of the three-week Tour de France, depending on the different levels of alert in the different French regions.
