Coronavirus: Cheltenham defends decision to go ahead with Festival

Cheltenham Festival has defended its decision to go ahead last month amid fears that the event may have accelerated the spread of Covid-19 in the UK.

The four-day event held on 10-13 March was attended by more than a quarter of a million people. Some have since reported symptoms of the virus, including the Southampton footballer Charlie Austin who speculated that he picked up the disease at the races.

However, festival organisers insisted they were operating within the guidelines issued by Public Health England at a time, which had not yet restricted mass gatherings, despite the deaths of six people in the UK and hundreds of positive tests by that point.

At the time, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said there was “no rationale” to postpone major events, as the government pursued a policy of herd immunity, something which was abandoned days later.

A statement by organisers read: “The Festival concluded three weeks ago and went ahead under the government’s ongoing guidance throughout, like other popular sports events at Twickenham, Murrayfield, 10 Premier League matches and the Uefa Champions League at Anfield that same week.

“We promoted the latest public health advice and introduced a range of additional hygiene measures at the event, including hundreds of hand sanitiser dispensers and extra washbasins.”