Coronavirus: MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas rescheduled for November

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Austin, March 10: The MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas has been rescheduled for November due to the spread of coronavirus.

Organisers said in a statement on Tuesday that the race will be moved from April 5 to November 15, with the Valencia Grand Prix to be held a week later.

The decision comes after the number of confirmed cases of the virus in the United States climbed to 472 as of early on Tuesday, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) figures, with the death toll at 19.

The South By Southwest film festival, also due to be held in Austin, had already been cancelled as a result of confirmed cases of the virus in the state of Texas.

MotoGP's season-opener in Qatar was called off due to restrictions on flights from Italy, which has struggled to contain the spread of the virus.

The second round in Thailand was moved from March 22 to October 4, forcing the race in Aragon to be brought forward to September 27.

Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, whose company is the commercial rights holder for the sport, suggested races could be held behind closed doors.