According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the number of coronavirus cases linked to the UAE tour has risen to 12, with four players reportedly positive. According to the Italian consulate, all Italian players are healthy and not in serious condition.

On Tuesday evening, the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) reported that six new coronavirus cases have been found on the UAE tour.

Cofidis and the Groupama-FDJ team confirmed that all players and staff tested negative, but further tests appear to have uncovered additional cases of infection from Gazprom Rusvelo and UAE Team Emirates team players and staff.

"The six people diagnosed with the new coronavirus include two Russians, two Italians, one German, and one Colombian," the MoHAP statement said. The new infections bring the total number of infected people in the UAE to 27, five of whom have reportedly been cured.

La Gazzetta dello Sport, owned by the same company that organizes the UAE tour, RCS Sport, reports that the four riders who are reportedly positive for the virus are two Russians, one Italian, and one Colombian, according to the new infections.

The majority of riders, media, and race staff tested negative for coronavirus, and 542 were eventually allowed to leave the UAE, but 70 riders and staff from Cofidis, Groupama-FDJ, Gazprom-RusVelo, and UAE Team Emirates are still in the country.

The identities of the four coronavirus-positive players are unknown. However, Fernando Gaviria is suspected to be one of them; only two Colombian players from the UAE tour, Hernando Bohorquez of Astana, have been allowed to leave the country. Gaviria's family in Colombia told the El Tiempo website that they have information about him and are unable to speak with him.

Gazprom player Igor Boev admitted to Russian media that Gaviria was hospitalized, but it is unclear whether he has tested positive for coronavirus.

The UAE Team Emirates athletes decided to self-isolate when the first cases of infection occurred, and there were unconfirmed reports that the first two infected were UAE Team Emirates staff who had traveled to the race from northern Italy.

"Despite being given permission to return home and despite the last test being negative, the team decided to extend their stay in the UAE to continue testing everyone's condition and return home after confirming that they were not infected," the team announced on Sunday.

"In this global emergency, our main goal is the safety of all of us and our families. We have identified several cases of influenza infection within our group and other teams, so we will conduct another round of tests in the next few days and if the situation improves, the players and staff will return to their families."

No further word from the team. Diego Ulissi was unable to witness the birth of his daughter Anna on Tuesday because he was on tour in the UAE.

On Wednesday, Cofidis and the Groupama-FDJ team announced that all players and staff had tested negative for the coronavirus after multiple tests. They did, however, confirm that they would be quarantined in their hotel rooms until March 14. Gazprom-Rusvelo, Cofidis, and Grupama-FDJ share the same floor in the Abu Dhabi hotel, which local authorities have quarantined to prevent the spread of the virus.

Nicola Lernell, Italian ambassador to the UAE, told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he visited the Italians involved.

"They are in specialized facilities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 'I was with my fellow ambassadors and I saw the Russians too. I have full confidence that hygienic procedures were followed

"The cases were concentrated in the team hotel, which had very different risk management than the hotel that hosted staff and media. There were no positive cases there and all tests were always negative.

"The players and staff of the four teams undergo further testing to rule out being positive. They will stay in the hotel for 14 days, the normal quarantine period.