Coronavirus: stop sport in Veneto and Lombardy

Sports also inevitably stop due to the Coronavirus emergency after the first cases of contagion in Italy, Lombardy and Veneto. And tomorrow no sporting event will take place tomorrow in Veneto and Lombardy (starting from the three matches of A Inter-Sampdoria, Atalanta-Sassuolo and Verona-Cagliari), Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora announced tonight - after the extraordinary CDM. In a letter sent to the President of CONI, Giovanni Malagò, Spadadora - on the basis of the decisions made tonight by the government - asked No. 1 of Italian sport "to become interpreter at all the competent sports bodies of the Government's invitation to suspend all sporting events of all levels and disciplines scheduled in the Lombardy and Veneto regions for Sunday 23 February 2020 ". In Serie A, for example, Inter-Sampdoria, Atalanta-Sassuolo and Verona-Cagliari will not play.
The decision comes at the end of a feverish day which had already seen, from a sporting perspective, the announcement of the postponement of Ascoli-Cremonese, a race valid for the 25th day of Serie B.
"We are monitoring and gradually taking all the necessary measures. We do not want to be alarmed, but it is obvious that the places of sporting aggregation are among the places where the difficulties can occur most", Spadafora explained during the day adding that he was in close contact with the President Malagò. "The measures adopted - he explained in the evening - also include the sports world for the need to prevent risks and to better protect the health of all those who, in various capacities, participate in events and competitions. Pending the completion of the measures and of the full and effective implementation of the same, on the appropriate notice of the Council of Ministers, for reasons of caution and utmost precaution, I ask you to be an interpreter at all the competent sports bodies of the Government's invitation to suspend all sporting events of all levels and discipline foreseen in the Lombardy and Veneto Regions for the day of Sunday 23 February 2020. This invitation is not to be extended to athletes and groups of athletes whose transfers outside the aforementioned Regions are scheduled for the same day, except for the same athletes and groups of athletes come from the geographical areas already indicated by the health authorities as outbreaks ".
During the day, however, there was no lack of controversy: the postponement of Ascoli-Cremonese (communicated when the teams were already at the Del Duca stadium), did not go down to Ascoli's patron Massimo Pulcinelli. His outburst published on social media is tough. "It's official postponed! Absurd country. Ridiculous! Managed by irresponsible. The stadium? The least dangerous place in the world. Now we close all public businesses for fear!" Pulcinelli wrote. The postponement, the mayor of Ascoli said, was decided by the Gores (Regional Health Emergency Group), after hearing the opinion of the president of the Marche Region and of the director of the public health service who "considered indispensable for health reasons the suspension of the valid race.