Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic), winner of Saturday's final stage from Paris to Nice, and Sergio Iguita (EF Pro Cycling), third overall, have been placed in isolation for two weeks after returning to Colombia to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Quintana announced on Twitter: "After giving another joy to my country yesterday, I will be under 14 days of preventive quarantine upon my return to Colombia. Thank you for all your support."

After rumors circulated that Colombia was closing its borders, Higuita told Zikloland that he was on his way back home but was abiding by quarantine regulations.

"It was quite an odyssey," he said. 'With the phone calls and the news broadcast every hour. But the important thing was to respect the rules and, above all, to respect everyone's safety."

"The government made some decisions for the good of all. Of course I want to be with my family. But coronavirus is a very important issue for public health, and all of us must set an example.

Higuain and Quintana have performed well this season, with Higuain winning the national road race championship and teammates Dani Martinez and Jonathan Caicedo winning the Tour Colombia 2.1 overall in a three-way race.

Quintana had won the Tour de la Provence and Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var before Paris-Nice and entered the race as the overwhelming favorite, but he was unlucky on stage 2, when a crosswind caused the peloton to crash at the wrong time.