Boost for Scottish racecourses as crowd limits to be lifted from Monday

Racegoers will be able to return to racecourses in Scotland from next week after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on Tuesday that crowd limits for large outdoor events would be removed from Monday.

The measures were introduced last month in a bid to reduce the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, with Sturgeon saying that there were signs Scotland was “starting to turn the corner”.

The Monday rule change will come a day too late for Kelso, which hosts a fixture on Sunday, with the course set to be the first Scottish track to be able to have a full attendance when racing on February 3.

Meetings also take place at Kelso on February 18, at Musselburgh on February 5, 6 and 20 as well as at Ayr on February 15.

Sturgeon said: “The situation right now is undoubtedly serious but perhaps less so than it might have been, and there are some signs that we might be starting to turn the corner.”

Table service will no longer be required at outdoor venues serving alcohol, but Covid certification or a recent negative lateral flow test are needed to gain access to sporting events.

Nicola Sturgeon: announced the lifting of crowd restrictions that had been in place since Boxing DayCredit: Stu Forster (Getty Images)

Sturgeon also announced that 50 per cent of attendees at outdoor events with at least 1,000 people would be required to have their Covid certification checked, up from the current 20 per cent requirement, and that to be classed as fully vaccinated individuals would need to have had a booster jab if their second vaccination was at least four months ago. Alternatively, spectators can be admitted by providing evidence of a “recent negative lateral flow test”.

She said: “I can confirm today that the attendance limit on large-scale outdoor events will be lifted from Monday. That means, for example, spectators will be permitted again at large outdoor sporting events, including football fixtures and the forthcoming Six Nations rugby matches.”

While limits have been in place on crowds in Scotland and Wales, where no spectators have been permitted at live sport, no such restrictions have been in place in England, Ireland or Northern Ireland.

However, Leopardstown was forced to run its prestigious Christmas festival behind closed doors due to staff shortages and rising Covid cases in Ireland.

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