A plan for a mass lateral flow COVID-19 testing programme was unveiled by Chester Race Company Ltd. on Monday. The course's goal is to test up to 5,000 attendees per day at the 2021 Boodles May Festival on May 5-7. There would be three separate testing sites, enabling 1,800 lateral flow tests per hour to take place at the racecourse, with all attendees assigned a specific testing site and allocated entry time. There would also be staggered exit times. Fully-socially distanced racing experiences are also in development, so that racing fans can be in attendance safely.
“We have been working very hard with local authorities to build a clear operational procedure plan that could allow us to safely welcome back a limited number of spectators for the Boodles May Festival,” said Chester Race Company Chief Executive Richard Thomas. “The delivery of mass on-site testing is at the core of our stringent health and safety measures. Chester Racecourse could provide on-site testing facilities for 5,000 attendees per day with results within minutes.
“Our overall aim is to deliver a safe, secure environment for an enjoyable three days of racing and we hope that testing will give an added confidence to our attendees, customers, and staff, whose health and safety is of paramount importance.
“We're proud of our innovative approach here at Chester and are keen to be one of the first venues to be able to bring crowds back safely to live sport. Chester is known for providing a unique race day experience for all attendees and we have developed a number of new socially distanced concepts which will deliver an exemplary level of safety and service.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
