Fernando Gaviria has tested positive for coronavirus for the second time this year, forcing him to pull out of the Giro d’Italia.
UAE Team Emirates sprinter Gaviria returned a positive test for Covid-19 on the Giro’s second rest day on Monday (October 19), as the all riders and team staff were screened for the virus.
This is the second time Gaviria has contracted the illness, after he was forced to isolate after catching coronavirus at the UAE Tour in March.
Gaviria is the fourth rider to pull out of the Giro with coronavirus, after Simon Yates, Steven Kruijswijk and Michael Matthews all tested positive in the first 10 days.
However after leaving the race, Matthews’ result was revealed to be a false positive after he was re-tested.
According to a joint statement from Giro organiser RCS and the UCI, 492 tests were carried out on the second rest day, but only two people in the race bubble tested positive for coronavirus – Gaviria and one staff member from AG2R La Mondiale.
Both have been left in the care of their team doctors to undergo isolation.
UAE Team Emirates said: “After undergoing a PCR test on yesterday’s Giro d’Italia rest day, UAE Team Emirates’ Fernando Gaviria has tested positive for COVID-19.
“All other riders and staff returned a negative test, and will undergo further testing today.
“The teams medical staff are monitoring the situation closely and doing all they can to ensure the we can proceed safely.
“Gaviria was immediately isolated following the test result and is feeling well and is completely asymptomatic. This is the second time the Colombian has tested positive for the virus, after also having it in March.”
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Gaviria was kept in isolation for almost a month earlier this year after he and a number of other riders and team staff tested positive for coronavirus at the UAE Tour earlier this year, as the race was cancelled due to an outbreak.
