diff --git a/ci/go-no-os-exit.sh b/ci/go-no-os-exit.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 5f0f98436a..0000000000
--- a/ci/go-no-os-exit.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-# Copyright (c) 2018 Intel Corporation
-#
-# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
-#
-# Check there are no os.Exit() calls creeping into the code
-# We don't use that exit path in the Kata codebase.
-
-# Allow the path to check to be over-ridden.
-# Default to the current directory.
-go_packages=${1:-.}
-
-echo "Checking for no os.Exit() calls for package [${go_packages}]"
-
-candidates=`go list -f '{{.Dir}}/*.go' $go_packages`
-for f in $candidates; do
-	filename=`basename $f`
-	# skip all go test files
-	[[ $filename == *_test.go ]] && continue
-	# skip exit.go where, the only file we should call os.Exit() from.
-	[[ $filename == "exit.go" ]] && continue
-	files="$f $files"
-done
-
-[ -z "$files" ] && echo "No files to check, skipping" && exit 0
-
-if egrep -n '\<os\.Exit\>' $files; then
-	echo "Direct calls to os.Exit() are forbidden, please use exit() so atexit() works"
-	exit 1
-fi
diff --git a/src/runtime/Makefile b/src/runtime/Makefile
index f938981e8c..5bfc803f13 100644
--- a/src/runtime/Makefile
+++ b/src/runtime/Makefile
@@ -573,7 +573,6 @@ $(MONITOR_OUTPUT): $(SOURCES) $(GENERATED_FILES) $(MAKEFILE_LIST) .git-commit
 
 .PHONY: \
 	check \
-	check-go-static \
 	coverage \
 	default \
 	install \
@@ -595,7 +594,7 @@ $(GENERATED_FILES): %: %.in $(MAKEFILE_LIST) VERSION .git-commit
 
 generate-config: $(CONFIGS)
 
-check: check-go-static
+check:
 
 test: install-hook go-test
 
@@ -610,10 +609,6 @@ go-test: $(GENERATED_FILES)
 	go clean -testcache
 	go test -v -mod=vendor ./...
 
-check-go-static:
-	$(QUIET_CHECK)../../ci/go-no-os-exit.sh ./cmd/kata-runtime
-	$(QUIET_CHECK)../../ci/go-no-os-exit.sh ./virtcontainers
-
 coverage:
 	go test -v -mod=vendor -covermode=atomic -coverprofile=coverage.txt ./...
 	go tool cover -html=coverage.txt -o coverage.html
diff --git a/src/runtime/cmd/kata-runtime/exit.go b/src/runtime/cmd/kata-runtime/exit.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 4a95ebe0de..0000000000
--- a/src/runtime/cmd/kata-runtime/exit.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-// Copyright (c) 2017 Intel Corporation
-//
-// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
-//
-
-package main
-
-import "os"
-
-var atexitFuncs []func()
-
-var exitFunc = os.Exit
-
-// atexit registers a function f that will be run when exit is called. The
-// handlers so registered will be called the in reverse order of their
-// registration.
-func atexit(f func()) {
-	atexitFuncs = append(atexitFuncs, f)
-}
-
-// exit calls all atexit handlers before exiting the process with status.
-func exit(status int) {
-	for i := len(atexitFuncs) - 1; i >= 0; i-- {
-		f := atexitFuncs[i]
-		f()
-	}
-	exitFunc(status)
-}
diff --git a/src/runtime/cmd/kata-runtime/exit_test.go b/src/runtime/cmd/kata-runtime/exit_test.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 59913762bd..0000000000
--- a/src/runtime/cmd/kata-runtime/exit_test.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,42 +0,0 @@
-// Copyright (c) 2017 Intel Corporation
-//
-// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
-//
-
-package main
-
-import (
-	"os"
-	"testing"
-
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
-)
-
-var testFoo string
-
-func testFunc() {
-	testFoo = "bar"
-}
-
-func TestExit(t *testing.T) {
-	assert := assert.New(t)
-
-	var testExitStatus int
-	exitFunc = func(status int) {
-		testExitStatus = status
-	}
-
-	defer func() {
-		exitFunc = os.Exit
-	}()
-
-	// test with no atexit functions added.
-	exit(1)
-	assert.Equal(testExitStatus, 1)
-
-	// test with a function added to the atexit list.
-	atexit(testFunc)
-	exit(0)
-	assert.Equal(testFoo, "bar")
-	assert.Equal(testExitStatus, 0)
-}
diff --git a/src/runtime/cmd/kata-runtime/main.go b/src/runtime/cmd/kata-runtime/main.go
index 23cd3d07de..845887ad85 100644
--- a/src/runtime/cmd/kata-runtime/main.go
+++ b/src/runtime/cmd/kata-runtime/main.go
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ import (
 // arch is the architecture for the running program
 const arch = goruntime.GOARCH
 
+var exitFunc = os.Exit
+
 var usage = fmt.Sprintf(`%s runtime
 
 %s is a command line program for running applications packaged
@@ -328,7 +330,7 @@ func handleShowConfig(context *cli.Context) {
 			fmt.Fprintf(defaultOutputFile, "%s\n", file)
 		}
 
-		exit(0)
+		exitFunc(0)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -448,7 +450,7 @@ func userWantsUsage(context *cli.Context) bool {
 func fatal(err error) {
 	kataLog.Error(err)
 	fmt.Fprintln(defaultErrorFile, err)
-	exit(1)
+	exitFunc(1)
 }
 
 type fatalWriter struct {
diff --git a/src/runtime/cmd/kata-runtime/main_test.go b/src/runtime/cmd/kata-runtime/main_test.go
index c90b9338d0..f8dab195e9 100644
--- a/src/runtime/cmd/kata-runtime/main_test.go
+++ b/src/runtime/cmd/kata-runtime/main_test.go
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
 	if path.Base(os.Args[0]) == katautils.NAME+".coverage" ||
 		path.Base(os.Args[0]) == katautils.NAME {
 		main()
-		exit(0)
+		exitFunc(0)
 	}
 
 	runUnitTests(m)