NHS Covid passes required for racecourse entry in England from next week

Racegoers in England must provide a Covid pass to gain entry into racecourses from next Wednesday after prime minister Boris Johnson announced new restrictions to tackle the Omicron variant.

An NHS Covid pass will be mandatory to gain entry into unseated outdoor venues with a capacity of more than 4,000 people and any venue with a capacity of 10,000 or more as part of the implementation of 'Plan B' restrictions.

They are the first blanket restrictions on racegoers in England since the lifting of government lockdown measures on July 19.

The new restrictions will affect the major festive fixtures, including the Howden Long Walk Hurdle meeting at Ascot on December 17-18, and Kempton's prestigious two-day fixture on December 26-27 – headlined by the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase.

People will be able to use the pass to show either proof of two vaccine doses or a negative lateral flow test result.

Kempton: hosts the two-day King George VI Chase meeting over the Christmas periodCredit: Edward Whitaker

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday evening, Johnson said: "We will make the NHS Covid pass mandatory for nightclubs and other venues where large crowds gather, in unseated indoor venues of more than 500 people and seated outdoor venues of more than 4,000 people. and any venue with more than 10,000 people.

"We will give businesses a week's notice, so this will come into force in a week's time, helping to keep these events and venues open at full capacity."

England follows other devolved nations, with people at outdoor venues in Scotland with more than 4,000 attendees requiring Covid passes since October 1, and in Wales since October 11.

Covid restrictions announced in Ireland last week mean the capacity at the Leopardstown Christmas festival is likely to be between 4.000 and 6,000.

The development in England follows that of Chelmsford racecourse, which announced in November that racegoers attending its meetings would have to show Covid passes, detailing an individual's vaccination record and test results. That has been in force since December 2.

Other measures under Plan B include the reintroduction of the work from home order, for those who can, from Monday, and the extension of mandatory face mask wearing to "most public indoor venues", including theatres and cinemas, from Friday.

On Wednesday there were 131 cases of the Omicron variant, which is feared to be more transmissible than the Delta variant, recorded across the UK, taking the total to 568.

A Racecourse Association spokesperson said on Wednesday evening that they would make a statement on Thursday at the earliest in response to the government announcement.

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