cheltenham , becoming toxic by the minute, LBC, radio 5, presenters

Hopefully it will be quieter next year. Took me 10 mins to queue for hog roast.

Perhaps lasix  Is the cure.

You couldn't get a test in the community by that stage as it had become clear that the disease had spread too much to make it feasible (obviously coupled by govt knowledge that we couldn't test fook all in terms of numbers anyhow).

but mass gatherings and pubs/restaurants etc no problem to carry on, just wash yer hands though folk that's the science.

How many who attended the festival have contracted Covid ? Surely it shouldn't be difficult to have some figures to support the assumption that substantiate any claim that the event represented an increased risk to those who attended ?

it was at its peak R wise, 1 man from a ski resort caused havoc spreading it in the uk, didn't need many who had symptons or didn't have symptons to spread it to thousands

everything in hindsight is easy,those events were around the time of should we/shouldnt we play behind closed doors or cancel,spain although they might have been playing sport behind closed doors they were not in lockdown until the last day of cheltenham and i am sure fans travelled to anfield for the champion league game

And if lockdown was a week before be another sporting Event etc.... they had to be a cut off point it just happened to fall Cheltenham festival week, I don't believe it was any worse than supermarkets tube mosques in fact I would be all 3 in front of of the festival.

It should never have gone ahead without any restriction eg behind closed doors, connections only, certain sections of hospitality closed, etc, given just 5 days later all horse racing was stopped; Arteta reported to have symptoms of Covid-19 during the middle of that week.

To repeatedly say guidance was sought from government department/officials prior is trying to shift the emphasis or shirking responsibility entirely onto the government/officials despite the BHA are the body responsible for the running of the industry.

It's not why Cheltenham was allowed to go ahead, but why Cheltenham went ahead without any precaution except sanitisers placed at strategic positions of the venue despite Covid-19 was gripping parts of EU with utmost intensity eg some parts of Europe were in lockdown yet a mass gathering of people were allowed at Cheltenham the same week without any form of restriction, precaution or advice given to racegoers.

I'd not like the people at the BHA running any organisation where the health and well-being of humans are involved or top priority.

when did football stop,when did the airlines stop,all around cheltenham week

If airlines had stopped flying passengers into the UK when there was a lockdown in Wuhan the UK will not be experiencing the present high number of Covid-19 cases and death rates. Similarly, had the government been more proactive rather than reactive eg if they'd gathered and used the info gained from other EU countries accordingly (and with a more competent Health Secretary) I do think Covid-19 cases and death rates will be lower too.

As for football we know why they took place as compared to F1 ie F1 in Australia (15th Mar) was scheduled to go ahead at the weekend until the drivers put their foot down 3 days prior when the death rates caused by Covid-19 was the main news in every country. And, none has taken place. Even the Canadian GP (June 12/14) has been postponed too.

What other commercial entities did is immaterial as they all have their own objective/agenda. As for F1 their drivers put the foot down. And, I believe the BHA ought to have been more responsibility geared rather than commercial eg Cheltenham behind closed doors/connections only/reduced programme/etc.

Horse racing is only a sport (not so much a necessity). We've had Cheltenham cancelled before.

football acted after arteta had a positive test and pretty sure the same thing happened in f1 when there were positive tests in one of the teams,until then they were going ahead

Australia have a mild Covid-19 compare to the UK, EU and USA similarly, New Zealand despite their proximity to China and SEA countries - They must have been doing something correct unlike the UK, EU and USA.

Prior to the weekend of F1 race the Covid-19 curve was in Australia was in its ascendancy, but still relatively low in comparison. But, after a couple of staff at McLaren tested positive the drivers put their foot down (and rightly so) - F1 is only a sport!

I believe the UK, EU and USA put economic and commercial values before lives hence their present predicament.

Yep, because the F1 staff with symptoms were tested immediately. Imagine the same had taken place at arrivals in Heathrow, gates at football matches and racegoers prior to Cheltenham. I'm almost 100% certain some would have tested positive. If so, game over...the sport sport suspended.

And now the W@nker is kicking off about getting people to wear Masks

Anything that could save lives even if it means it's inconveniencing the public eg banning of flights in and out of the UK; shutting down of sporting events; transport (except genuine "key" workers), etc, at the beginning. The sooner these virus are knackered the sooner we'll be free from it ie save to travel and be at close proximity to others in public.

I think the herd immunity adopted by government advisors/experts at the outset have been wrong and placed the UK in a disadvantaged regards Covid-19, causing numerous deaths (some maybe unnecessary); the policies and safeguards adopted by S Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Germany eg testing and tracing would have been more prudent and productive.

Do the UK experts worth their salt? Or do these experts actually know what they are talking about? Or are they like joe public guessing about Covid-19 as they go along? At the moment their strategies eg not testing/taking temperature of new arrivals at Heathrow/ports, etc, except advising "Stay at Home" do not seem to hinder the advance of Covid-19.

I think deep down the experts think they could have erred regards the Liverpool/Madrid game and Cheltenham not advocating a ban or restriction imposed for the latter. But, admitting it in public could instigate legal challenges.

This is why racing needs to be not shouting from the roof tops about how it's ready to go, like it or not we are persona non grata in the wider scheme of things, we should be biting our tongue and keeping our counsel, racing is an easy target and racing's leaders aren't too cute when it comes to PR... that's just how it is I'm afraid.

The real problem was surely still weeks of people cramming into London on trains, tubes, buses and cars for a working day in offices and factories and then taking the virus home with them all over the country.

It would help if the journalists could start by getting some accuracy in their articles rather than sensationalising the issue. Every article says 250k people over the week which is no where near accurate given a high percentage of people go to multiple days. Im also yet to see anyone provide accuracte evidence to showw the festival had any more of an effect than any other event or everyday life activities. It is lazy journalism using Cheltenham as a scapegoat.

The hightalians were also present I believe.

Not just Hoss racing that got it wrong.

Led by scientists, lied to by politicians.