Dorna: State of emergency "doesn't impact" Valencia MotoGP
Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta says Spain declaring a state of emergency over COVID-19 on Sunday “doesn’t impact” MotoGP’s final races “in principle”.

Earlier this week Spain surpassed one million confirmed COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, with the country set to declare a state of health emergency on Sunday to allow curfews to be imposed in certain areas to quell the spread of the virus.
MotoGP’s Teruel Grand Prix weekend has gone ahead as planned despite several cities surrounding Aragon returning to perimetral lockdown.
The series will remain in Spain for the European and Valencia Grands Prix at Ricardo Tormo next month before heading to Portugal for the finale on November 22 at the end of another triple-header.
This weekend, rumours of a potential change to the final three rounds, with Valencia now observing a curfew between midnight and 6am every day.
However, Ezpeleta doesn’t believe this curfew will affect the running of the two Ricardo Tormo rounds.
"At the moment nothing has changed, a state of alarm in Spain, in principle, doesn't impact our situation,” Ezpeleta said.
“We're working during the race, and if there are restrictions on movement after 10pm until the morning, it doesn't impact us. At the moment we can continue.
“In any case we're in close contact with authorities in each place, and at the moment we didn't receive any kind of information about it."
Due to the restrictions, the plan to allow fans attend the Valencia Grand Prix were recently scrapped.
Most races this season, with the exception of the Misano double-header and the French GP, have been run behind closed doors.
MotoGP has been operating its own COVID protocols within the paddock, which include limited team numbers, restrictions on movement and regular testing.
Several cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in the paddock, though the most notable infections for Valentino Rossi, Moto2 rider Jorge Martin and a member a Yamaha engineer were discovered outside of the paddock.
Ezpeleta remains confident in effectiveness of MotoGP’s COVID protocols, adding: “The situation is as we proposed in the beginning, we are controlling the cases, there were some in Austria, and then in any place there have been one or two people who have been home and then have some problems before they return - some riders and some workers in the paddock.
“But the most important thing is that, through the tests we're doing, we are able to control everything and know what the situation is.
“In principal right now we don't see any problems in the future, but I repeat, we're in close contact with authorities in each place.
“The remaining places are Valencia and Portimao, and at the moment we didn't receive any queries."
Read Also:
Related video

Previous article
Vinales can be "a great fighter" in Teruel MotoGP
Next article
Teruel MotoGP: Morbidelli wins from Suzuki's Rins and Mir

About this article
Series | MotoGP |
Author | Lewis Duncan |
Dorna: State of emergency "doesn't impact" Valencia MotoGP
Trending
Repsol Honda Team - Pol Espargaró Q&A
Repsol Honda Team - Marc Marquez Q&A
Why Alex Marquez doesn't care about 'shutting up' MotoGP critics
Alex Marquez's form was one of MotoGP 2020's biggest surprises and, by firmly stepping out of his six-time world champion brother Marc's shadow, he proved a few people wrong. Not that he cares about this, as he tells Lewis Duncan
How Yamaha's new MotoGP era can unchain Vinales
After the electrifying start to his Yamaha MotoGP career in 2017, Maverick Vinales has struggled for consistency. Many anticipate that the arrival of Fabio Quartararo could spell disaster, but the departure of Valentino Rossi could be just the impetus he needs.
Does KTM really need 'super engine' for MotoGP title challenge?
Fears from rival MotoGP manufacturers that KTM would build a 'super engine' for 2021 have ultimately come to nothing with the revealation that the RC16 hasn't been radically changed over the winter. But does it really need that to win the title?
How Ducati's latest Aussie union can return it to MotoGP glory
Australians on Ducatis is an iconic partnership, the marque's last one yielding its sole MotoGP crown to date. But its latest Aussie union with the often underestimated Jack Miller can end this drought.
The "balls out" battle between MotoGP's true greats
Senna vs Prost is regularly cited as motorsport's greatest rivalry. But it can easily be argued Rainey vs Schwantz can stake that claim. That rivalry was in full swing during the 1991 500cc season, remembered fondly by both stars 30 years on...
The "warrior" MotoGP rookie KTM was right to back
The 2020 MotoGP campaign featured a standout pair of rookies, but one flew under the radar as he adjusted to a shock step-up armed with very little racing experience. However as his veteran team boss explains, the faith shown in him was not misplaced
Why Suzuki's Brivio replacement must come from within
With its charismatic leader Davide Brivio leaving for Formula 1, the Suzuki MotoGP squad he turned into a world championship-winning force in 2020 has a major recruitment headache that it needs to resolve carefully.
Why Alpine's latest signing could be its best hope of F1 glory
The return of Fernando Alonso to the renamed Alpine team is a sure sign of the team's ambition. But its latest appointment from MotoGP could be an even bigger coup as it seeks to end a barren run stretching back to Alonso's 2006 world title