Cheltenham team back Festival hygiene measures

More basins and sanitiser gel at the track in light of coronavirus outbreak .

Officials at Cheltenham have backed measures in place at the course to help combat the coronavirus outbreak.

Increased wash basins and hand sanitiser stations have been put in place, as crowds – around 60,000 each day – and horses descend on the Cotswolds from Britain, Ireland and France.

Ian Renton, regional head of racing south-west for Jockey Club Racecourses, told BBC Breakfast: “We have been liaising very closely with the Government over the last fortnight and listening to them and listening to their advice, and they have been extremely helpful in telling us what they believe is the right thing to do.

“As we heard yesterday, they want business to continue as usual in this country and sporting events such as this that take place.

“So we have put a lot of precautions in place, in terms of ensuring racegoers have access to soap and water and can follow Government advice on hygiene.

“We have created 24 sanitiser gel boards, which arrived with us last night, to ensure racegoers can take every precaution possible.”

Asked what impact the cancellation of the Festival would have had, Renton said: “We do have insurance to cover these events, as we said we would have followed the advice whichever way it went.

“I think everyone is very much looking forward to these four days. The Festival is very much a UK and Ireland event, that is where the horses, jockeys and trainers come from.

“We’ve got a few runners from France over the four days, but it’s less international than Flat racing.

“It’s a huge event for all the participants, as well as locally – it’s a big event for the local economy, so we’re very pleased the Government has taken the view that the Festival should go ahead this year.”

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