Kenya Champion Baldev Singh Chager has sung praises of the COVID-19 Code of Conduct which will be strictly be adhered to during next month’s WRC Safari Rally.
Chager reckons that the Code, which is derived from Appendix S of the World Governing Body-FIA, will guarantee those attending Safari the requisite safety.
WRC Safari, slated for June 24-27, will feature High and Low Density areas whereby only those who are necessary for the running of the event will be allowed access.
Teams and Mechanics will be confined to the High Density Areas (HDA) and will not mix with those in the Low Density Area (LDA).
“Covid has affected us in many ways but we have to stay strong, safe and keep fighting it. We hope we get out of this pandemic situation as fast as we possibly can. FIA is quite strict about Covid and is looking out at the safety and security of every individual involved in motorsport worldwide. It’s very important how they have set the guidelines and how many people can be at the same place at a certain given time and we could see how they had activated this during the ARC Equator Rally which acted as a dry run for the Safari. Everybody had to have a compulsory covid test, wear masks, sanitize and so much more. There were no spectators around. It’s really difficult but we have to follow the rules and if don’t do this pandemic will never leave us alone,” Chager who won the 2019 ARC Safari Rally with Ravi Soni said.
The COVID-19 Code of Conduct (known as Appendix S) was issued by the FIA last year in exercise of its powers under the International Sporting Code in a bid to mitigate risks of transmission of the COVID-19 virus to an acceptable degree. The FIA therefore consulted the guidance issued by public health authorities, and took the advice of an independent external expert, in order to put together the protocols of the sport to resume.
FIA notes in the Appendix S that the COVID-19 pandemic is evolving rapidly from day to day, “and because official authorities in different jurisdictions vary in the requirements they impose and the advice they give in relation to the pandemic and may change those requirements and/or that advice on short notice, the World Motor Sport Council delegated authority to the COVID-19 Delegate to amend the protocols set out in Part One of this COVID- 19 he/she deems necessary.
The World Motor Sport Council also appointed a FIA Covid- 19 Expert Group with the authority to grant a full or partial waiver of certain requirements set out in Part Two of this COVID-19 Code.
COVID-19 Delegate is an individual designated by the FIA to be the person responsible on its behalf for overseeing the operation of this COVID-19 Code at a Covered Event. For Part Two Events, the COVID-19 Delegate is the FIA Medical Delegate or (if there is no Medical Delegate at the Event) the Chief Medical Officer.
