ROAD NEWS
2021 IOM TT CANNED
W hile the 2021 running of the annual Isle of Man TT wasn ’ t scheduled to kick into gear until May 29 , the Isle of Man government has officially cancelled the event due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic . “ We do not underestimate the disappointment that this decision will cause to many people ”, says Isle of Man Minister for Enterprise , Laurence Skelly MHK , “ However , we are making an early , logical decision to provide certainty and clarity to race fans and everyone else involved in the event . “ The TT relies on thousands of volunteers and officials across a wide range of organisations and we could not move responsibly towards a positive decision to proceed in planning for 2021 , which would involve committing to welcoming tens of thousands of people to the Island in June , despite the progress towards a vaccination programme globally and on the Island . “ We evaluated all possible options including moving the TT to a date later in the year , but there are complexities and risks , including scaling up of certain infrastructure and critical delivery elements of the TT , as well as existing resident and visitor travel in late August , which would cause further disruption to thousands of people . “ This decision has not been taken lightly but has been taken in the interests of the Island , the
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health and wellbeing of residents and visitors , and is in line with our ongoing pandemic strategy . However , whilst making this decision , it does not necessarily mean that we believe the Island ’ s borders will remain under the current restrictions as we hope to welcome visitors back to the Island at the earliest opportunity . “ To the fans around the world , I would say that we are really sorry to have to make this decision , but that we sincerely hope that we will still see you at some point next year . “ The cancellation will have clear and immediate impacts on the Island ’ s tourism and travel businesses , and the Department for Enterprise will be issuing a further statement today ( Monday ), regarding additional support for industry to maintain and protect our strong visitor experience for the long term .” While the TT has officially been cancelled , work is still ongoing for the 2021 running of the Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix races , which are due to be held from August 21 , 2021 . Whilst the ongoing situation will be monitored on a regular basis , a final decision on whether these events will run as scheduled will be made by the end of March 2021 .
88 KIWI RIDER