Mitchelton-Scott announced that both the men's and women's teams will withdraw from all races immediately, at least until March 22, in light of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in Europe.

This means that the men's team will miss the Paris-Nice, Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, and Milan-San Remo races, while the women's team will miss the Strade Bianche, Ronde van Drenthe, Danilis Nokele Coase, and Trofeo Binda.

EF Pro Cycling and Jumbo Visma have announced that they will not be racing in the upcoming race in Italy due to concerns about racing in the European country with the highest confirmed cases of coronavirus Covid-19. Mitchelton-Scott went even further, declining to race not only in Italy, but also in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

It is anticipated, though not yet confirmed, that the race in Italy would violate a new decree restricting large gatherings and sporting events, while no such restrictions have yet been implemented in Belgium or the Netherlands. On Tuesday, the French Sports Ministry allowed Paris-Nice to go ahead as scheduled despite new measures against the spread of the coronavirus.

In a statement released Wednesday, Mitchelton-Scott said it had decided to withdraw the team in the coming weeks "with or without individual government regulations." He added that the Australian team has informed the UCI of its intentions and will monitor the situation before deciding whether to participate in the race after March 22.

Thus, the Mitchelton-Scott men's team will be competing in Strade Bianche (March 7), GP Larciano (Industria & Artigianato) (March 8), Paris to Nice (March 8-15), Tirreno to Adriatico (March 11-17), Milan to Sanremo (March 21) will be missed. The women's team will miss Rondo van Drenthe (March 15), Danilis Nokere Coase (March 18), and Trofeo Alfredo Binda (March 22).

"We, as team doctors and the team as a whole, have a duty to protect the health and well-being of all riders and staff. We have no say in or control over measures that race organizers may or may not introduce to manage the risks of COVID-19," said a statement from Mitchelton Scott.

"We are a moving international logistics puzzle, with staff and athletes moving between countries with different health systems and strategies regarding COVID-19. Constant movement increases health risks and makes logistics and quarantine periods extremely difficult to manage.

"Our team will take down any additional impact that illness or injury may have on health systems and hospitals at home and abroad. While we are eager to make every preparation and race, as an organization we believe this is the best way to ensure that we uphold our duty of care to our athletes and staff before returning to our normal duties as soon as possible."

The final two stages of the recent UAE Tour were cancelled due to a suspected Covid-19 infection during the race. Adam Yates of Michelon-Scott took the overall win, but all riders, staff, and media participating in the race were placed under house arrest in an Abu Dhabi hotel for three days before most were allowed to leave the country.

UAE Team Emirates, Groupama-FDJ, Cofidis, and Gazprom-RusVelo remained quarantined in Abu Dhabi, and La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that four riders tested positive for coronavirus.

The Parkhotel Valkenburg and CCC-Liv teams also announced their withdrawal from the Strade Bianche girls.