KUALA LUMPUR – With the MotoGP troupe having set foot in Indonesia for their final testing session this weekend, has Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro gotten away with breaching Malaysia’s Covid-19 sports bubble protocols?
The number 41 rider had posted pictures of himself cycling in Putrajaya – about 20km away from the hotels and paddock where MotoGP teams were confined to – last Thursday.
The sports bubble allowed team members to only travel between hotels and the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), where MotoGP had their official testing session last weekend.
As an Aprilia Racing rider, Espargaro was also part of the shakedown test over the week alongside other rookies and test riders.
Yesterday, Youth and Sports Ministry recreational sports development director Nor Azli Mohamad Daud said the punishment for Espargaro’s breach would be decided by the Health Ministry.
“There will be some sort of punishment, but the decision is not up to us as this is a matter that has been left to the Health Ministry,” he told members of the media at SIC.
According to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 342, any individuals that breach the Covid-19 protocols are subject to either a maximum fine of RM1,000 or face imprisonment of not more than two years.
SIC could also be facing repercussions as they are held responsible as the host to the MotoGP Shakedown and Official Test.
Currently, it seems that Espargaro has dodged the punishment as there has not been any decision from the Health Ministry yet.
Espargaro’s Instagram shows that he is in Indonesia, where the final testing session will be held this weekend at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit.
The Health Ministry and SIC have not responded to The Vibes. – The Vibes, February 8, 2022.
