Meath West TD wants Cheltenham-goers tested for Covid-19

Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín today renewed calls for people returning from Cheltenham to be tested for the Coronavirus .
Welcoming the steps taken by Government directing the closure of schools, colleges and childcare facilities as well as several other public facilities , Deputy Tóibín questions however if there are plans to carry out  adequate risk assessments on returning racegoers.
 “Like so many others I feel it was almost incomprehensible to allow Cheltenham to go ahead, but seeing as it has, as a country we must now do all we can to limit the potential dangers it could present . Up to 18,000 people travelled from Ireland to Cheltenham and I can’t seem to get definitive answers to my questions of what measures, if any, are being taken to try and contain the possible risks from those who attended the event”.
“The Tanaiste says that ‘ health conversations’ will take place with returning racegoers; what does this mean, it seems incredibly vague?" he asked.
“We know there was one case confirmed in Cheltenham prior to the festival taking place. We saw the pictures of crowded stands where there was barely an inch between spectators, let along the suggested one metre. We know that people will have piled into pubs ,clubs and restaurants after the races ,increasing the risk of contagion”. 
“As an island country we are in a position to halt the spread of Covid 19 in our country. The vast majority of cases in this country have been imported . I  am asking the question that people all over the country are asking about Cheltenham; yet I have been unable to get a straight answer to the straight question of what is being planned at our airports to limit the risk of exposure to the virus . The people of Ireland who are trying to come to terms with this outbreak, and our health care workers who are to the forefront of the battle against this virus, deserve to know”.
“In addition to any likely threat from Cheltenham, I am very concerned that flights continue to come in from  affected countries .Spain has had a big spike in cases yet flights from Spain continue to land here”.
“Again, while I welcome the latest decisions taken by the Government to try and stem the tide of Coronavirus, the measures must be as far reaching as possible and we simply cannot allow people to enter the country without stringent risk assessments”.

Ian Renton, regional director of the Cheltenham Festival, has said they have taken significant extra precautions and followed the UK government's advice very carefully in relation to limiting the spread of the coronavirus.

The final day of the festival, with its centrepiece Gold Cup, is going ahead as planned, despite almost all other sport - apart from the Wales-Scotland Six Nations match - across Europe being suspended.

Ian Renton told Today with Sean O'Rourke on RTÉ Radio 1 that it was not business as usual and racegoers were making use of hand sanitiser and hand-washing.

Mr Renton said every country has taken different advice and he can only follow the advice of the British government.

"We have followed our own government's advice very closely indeed. We have done everything we could to put on an event of this nature and ensure the environment is right for our racegoers," he said.

The Board of Horse Racing Ireland has announced that horse racing will take place behind closed doors up until March 29th. This includes meetings at Navan Racecourse on 14th and 28th March.

It follows Government advice issued this morning to contain the spread of Covid-19, including an instruction to limit external gatherings to less than 500 people.

After consultation with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and with industry stakeholders, Horse Racing Ireland has imposed a number of restrictions on race meetings between today and March 29th to ensure that less than 500 people are on site at each race meeting. 
These measures will take immediate effect, with the situation being kept under review.

The restrictions are:
•    Racemeetings will be closed to the public with recommended social distancing measures implemented on track
•    Access will be restricted to essential service providers and industry participants
•    There will be no catering services, on course bookmakers or Tote services provided
•    One groom per runner declared will be admitted to the racecourse
•    One owner per runner will be admitted  
•    Only trainers of horses running at the meeting will be admitted
•    All participants will be asked to vacate the racecourse after their horses have run
•    Racing will continue to be made available to broadcasters as at present
Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland, said:

“It is important that horse racing acts responsibly and plays its part in the efforts to limit the spread of Covid-19. That is why we are announcing, with immediate effect, that horse racing fixtures in Ireland will continue between now and March 29th, but will be run behind closed doors with very restrictive access. Racemeetings will not be open to the public, in line with measures taken by other international racing jurisdictions, such as France, Hong Kong, Japan and Dubai.

“Public health is the number one priority and these restrictions will continue be kept under constant review as we liaise with our colleagues in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Health. 

“The restrictions which we are announcing today will limit social interaction but will allow a vital rural industry to continue to operate, protecting livelihoods and jobs.”

The offices of Horse Racing Ireland will remain open during this time and working from home arrangements will be facilitated wherever possible.