Racing must 'do the right thing' in fight against Covid says BHA's Jerry Hill

The racing industry has a collective responsibility to ensure that as cases of Covid-19 rise across the country, the sport does not imperil itself with any sudden outbreaks, BHA chief medical adviser Dr Jerry Hill has warned.

The authority is looking both to defend racing's hard-won status as a model sport in the eyes of government and to lobby for some version of crowd participation at the earliest possible date.

Dr Hill said: "A really important message is to say that if you are unwell, do not go to work. The work ethic in this country – and definitely among stable staff, jockeys and trainers – is to try and struggle on. We all now need to stop and think: 'What might I pass on?'

"There are obviously questions of whether to get a test and the challenge that has become.

"Up until very recently we've been able to get tests, often within an hour or two of someone phoning me. The NHS testing has been brilliant. It has hit a blip and it has been difficult but we can still get tests and so the important thing is not to avoid declaring it because you think you won't get a test in time."

Dr Hill praised the efforts of individuals attending meetings and the racecourses themselves for the way they have adapted to the stringent protocols developed by the BHA.

But he underlined that the racing community needed to remember that adhering to proper anti-Covid measures extended beyond actions on tracks and in training yards.

"We need to be slightly cautious and not rest on our laurels because we've been successful over a period of time when Covid cases have been at a relatively low prevalence," said Dr Hill, who has led on liaising both with other sports and with government as racing successfully returned behind closed doors and with the subsequent addition of owners.

Racegoers queue to get in on day one of the St Leger meetingCredit: Edward Whitaker

"But what is happening across the country is that cases are going up, not predominantly because of work but because of transmission in people's domestic and social life. Racing is no exception to that.

"It's not because people have been disobeying the rules but social interaction is a very good way of transmitting the virus. People need to view the entirety of their life as being important in protecting the industry against the ingress of Covid. It's not just what they do at work and it's not just what they do in racecourses. We all have a personal and collective responsibility to do the right thing."

NHS app has great potential for racing

The BHA has liaised closely with the developers of the NHS test and trace app, which was launched on Thursday, and there are hopes that if industry staff become early adopters of the technology then racing can put itself in a better position to argue for maintaining its activities.

In addition Dr Hill believes the app could become a vital tool in the push to get the public back on to racecourses.

Owners area: in place across racecourses in Britain to reduce chances of mass spreading of coronavirusCredit: Edward Whitaker

"If it delivers what I expect it to deliver, that's going to facilitate more interactions on racecourses as well," said Dr Hill.

"I think it will help us support people in doing the right thing and reduce the chances of someone who is actively infectious getting on to a racecourse and transmitting that infection. It does have great potential but we have to view it as an add-on at the moment and it's not a substitute for what we’re doing.

"If we get really good take-up within the racing industry, that will put us in a really robust position to continue."

Hill's team have been collating data drawn from interviews with those in attendance on Doncaster's pilot day, which were conducted 14 days after the meeting and will give the BHA and their partners at Bath University a much more complete picture of any health implications to the event than is demanded by either the DCMS or UK Sport.

The BHA also produces a report twice a week on the prevalence of coronavirus in every area of racing activity across the country.

Read more:

Gosden calls for movement on levy reform to avoid going 'back to 1970s'

BHA calls for more government support as Sunak unveils new job support scheme

Courses facing bleak winter as Jockey Club reveals big increase in turnover hit

'Significant six-figure loss' pending for Wetherby as jumps tracks feel pinch

'I don't know how people are going to survive': bookmakers fear for the future

Hammer blow as new restrictions mean crowds might not return for six months

Ed Chamberlin: 'A dismal week but we need to get racing on the front foot'

Ultimate Daily - our daily newsletters from Racing Post's experts, exclusive to the inbox of Ultimate Members' Club subscribers. To receive the newsletter subscribe at racingpost.com/members-club