Chester announces mass testing plans in hope of May crowds
Course has social-distancing strategy for three-day festival.
Officials at Chester are hoping a combination of mass Covid-19 testing and social-distancing measures will allow up to 5,000 racegoers to attend the Boodles May Festival. The track announced in a statement it has developed a “sector leading mass lateral flow testing programme” upon entry for spectators at the three-day festival, with the results expected to be returned in less than 20 minutes. The mass-venue testing could take place in three separate sites, enabling 1,800 lateral flow tests per hour to take place at the racecourse, with all attendees assigned a specific site and allocated entry time. Chester Race Company is mapping out its strategy before the Government’s imminent announcement on the road-map out of the current lockdown, with the track having also become the first NHS large-scale coronavirus mass vaccination centre in its borough on Monday.Chief executive Richard Thomas: “We were really keen to ensure that our local area could benefit from a mass vaccination centre and are very pleased to be able to support the NHS with their essential vaccination programme. “Meanwhile, in anticipation of the Government’s road map announcement, we have been working very hard with local authorities to build a clear operational procedure plan that hopefully could allow us to safely welcome back a limited number of spectators for the Boodles May Festival. “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 expected in less than 20 minutes
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