DTM parent organization ITR has announced that it has chosen to close the pre-season test at Hockenheim to the general public over health and safety concerns caused by the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The championship moved the test from the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza to the Hockenheimring last week due to the rapid spread of the virus in of Italy, where the number of confirmed cases has surpassed 3,000, the majority of which have occured in the northern parts of the country where the Monza circuit is also located.
Germany has recorded 400 cases since the outbreak of the virus started, with the state of Baden-Württemberg, where the Hockenheimring is located, amongst those hit heaviest with 73 confirmed cases as of Thursday.
“Due to health and safety concerns over the coronavirus, ITR has taken the decision to completely close this month’s Hockenheim pre-season test to the general public,” the organization wrote in a statement.
“ITR takes the matter of public safety very seriously, and we felt that this decision was necessary in order to ensure the security and well-being of the DTM community, attending media, and the public at large.”
The date for the test remains unchanged, scheduled for March 16-19.
