In a bid to combat the spread of coronavirus, another three race meetings in France will be run without any spectators under orders from the local authorities in the Oise region, which includes Chantilly.
Tuesday's meeting at Chantilly was staged behind closed doors this week along with two at nearby Compiegne, and that has now been extended to next week when the racing at Chantilly on Monday, Tuesday and Friday will be run without members of the public being admitted.
A statement released by France Galop on Wednesday read, “At the request of the Prefecture of Oise and the Town Hall of Chantilly, the next meetings at Chantilly racecourse, Monday 9, Tuesday 10 and Friday 13 March 2020, will again be held behind closed doors as part of the measures regarding public gatherings in the Department of Oise. The racetrack will not open to the public, but the racing programme will be maintained.”
As of Wednesday, there were 257 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in France, where four people are reported to have died after contracting the virus. In Italy, which has the highest number of cases of the virus in Europe with 107 fatalities, the government has announced the closure of all schools and universities until Mar. 15.
The number of cases in Britain rose to 85 on Wednesday but the racing programme remains unaffected at this stage. Whether or not the Cheltenham Festival will go ahead remains a topic of debate for officials and fans alike, and it has been announced that there will be an increase in the number of lavatories and hand-washing facilities for the four-day highlight of the National Hunt season, which begins on Tuesday, though the crowd figures are expected to be down.
Speaking to The Guardian, Ian Renton, regional director for Jockey Club Racecourses, said, “We're pleased to hear the messages the government has put out suggesting there will be no immediate change to business as usual. On that basis we're proceeding and looking forward to a great festival and are taking steps to make sure we have got systems in place to make sure hygiene is at its maximum.”
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