CHESTER Racecourse hope to have up to 5000 punters back on course in May.
Using a mass testing system where all spectators are tested on arrival, the course hopes to welcome a socially-distanced crowd to the three-day Boodles May Festival.
A ‘sector-leading’ mass lateral flow testing programme will test all on arrival.
Three separate testing sites can reportedly deliver up to 1800 tests an hour.
Those in attendance will be required enter at a certain time through a designated entrance with the same on exit.
The course will then be set-up to allow for social distancing, with punters designated an enclosure they must stick to.
Drink, food and on-course bookmakers will all be available with contactless order and collection points.
Richard Thomas, chief executive of Chester, said: “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.
“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.”
Crowds have not been on a racecourse since December, and prior to that, numbers were largely capped at a 1000.
But the system will need approval from the British Horseracing Authority, as well as from the government and Public Health England.
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