British Racing Shuts Doors To Public

[Wandering Eyes]

British racing will be staged at least until the end of March behind closed doors beginning on Tuesday as a precaution against the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, with limits on numbers of essential personnel. Scottish racecourse Kelso had implemented a closed-door policy on its own accord on Sunday to align with the advice of the Scottish government, and England and Wales will now follow suit. The widely expected announcement from the BHA brings Britain in line with protocols put in place by Ireland and Germany. Italy has cancelled racing completely until Apr. 3, and on Monday afternoon France announced all racing is off until Apr. 15.

Earlier on Monday, the BHA had announced that it has closed its offices after a small number of office-based staff exhibited coronavirus symptoms.

A statement from the BHA read, “the intention is for scheduled race meetings to take place wherever possible. However, the situation is very fluid at present and decisions may have to be made to cancel meetings. Every effort will be made to notify customers and the betting industry at the earliest opportunity.

“With race meetings due to happen every day, the aim is to agree a programme that is sustainable, in the light of possible staff absences, including in critical roles, in order to protect industry staff and support the wider effort to free up critical public services.”

The plan was agreed by the BHA, the Racecourse Association and The Horsemen’s Group.

BHA Chief Executive Nick Rust said, “Racecourses and racing yards are embedded in their local communities and we are acutely aware of our responsibilities to protect public health. The restrictions we are putting in place to close racing to spectators and limit attendees will reduce demand on public services. We also have a range of measures in place designed in response to the government’s guidance on public health and we will continue to update these as appropriate.

“We acknowledge that today’s decision will also impact on local businesses, especially hotels and restaurants, who are struggling at this time. We are following the government’s advice to strike a balance between protecting public health and maintaining business activity and will continue to do so. We thank our customers and staff for their support.”

Weatherbys issued a statement on Monday saying that its offices remain open, with an existing secondary continuity site activated to host 50 members of staff beginning this week. Some members of staff have also taken advantage of remote working capabilities.

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