MotoGP bosses have been forced to cancel next month’s Sepang tests after Malaysia was put into a state of emergency due to Covid.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns and complications have obliged the cancellation of both events, which were set to take place at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia in February.

“The Qatar Test, currently set to take place at Losail International Circuit from the 10th to the 12th of March, continues to be confirmed and any further updates or changes will be provided as soon as available,” said a statement.

Malaysia’s king, Al-Sultan Abdullah, has declared a months-long state of emergency across the country to combat a rise in coronavirus cases yesterday.

The announcement came a day after prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin introduced sweeping new coronavirus restrictions across much of the country, including the closure of most businesses, warning that the health system was at “breaking point”.

The prime minister, who is just 10 months into his term, insisted in a televised address that the emergency declaration was “not a military coup” and a curfew would “not be enforced”, adding that he was committed to holding a general election once the country’s outbreak was brought under control.

The state of emergency allows the state to take over private hospitals and deploy additional military and police. Tough lockdown measures have kept the coronavirus under control for much of the past year in Malaysia but cases have increased sharply as those measures were eased.