[Alex Broadway/SWpix.com]
The UCI has announced the Covid-19 Protocol has "been judged no longer necessary for the 2024 season".
"The virus is still circulating today, and with the winter season, there has been a slight resumption of the epidemic," a statement explains. "Thanks to extensive vaccination campaigns, however, forms of the disease remain relatively mild, including in susceptible individuals.
"Wearing a mask, hand hygiene and ventilating enclosed spaces - all effective measures during a pandemic - are still relevant. People who test positive are no longer obliged to isolate, but the continuation of barrier measures remains essential. These are the responsibility of team doctors as part of standard prevention against respiratory infectious diseases."
The UCI has however introduced a High Temperature Protocol, in addition to the Extreme Weather Protocol, which means that when necessary a "working group will be convened by the President of the Commissaires Panel at the request of the UCI, the teams, the riders or the organisers, to agree on an action plan to mitigate the risks to riders' health and safety.
[Zac Williams/SWpix.com]
"Such recommendations could be, for example, moving start zones to shaded areas, supplying teams with cold drinks and crushed ice during the race, increasing the number of refueling motorbikes, altering the start time or potentially neutralising sections of the race. It should be understood that these measures will only be recommendations, depending on the severity of the climatic conditions, and their application will remain the responsibility of the working group."