Massive Response to Coronavirus Outbreak Hopefully Effective
There is a virus going around, but it almost seems more a virus of fear.
What does this have to do with horseracing?
The outbreak of the Chinese coronavirus has resulted in the Hong Kong Jockey Club banning punters without advance bookings from attending a Lunar New Year meeting at Sha Tin in Hong Kong.
The meeting, held in conjunction with China’s Lunar New Year observance, typically attracts more than 100,000 spectators.
This year’s meeting will be restricted to about 8,000 people who booked ahead, along with the horse owners, trainers, jockeys and other staff.
It would appear that the country of China has responded quickly to contain the outbreak, but a few cases have been reported in Australia, France and the U.S., as Chinese citizens traveling back and forth to visit relatives in China during their most significant cultural holiday observances.
“The Hong Kong Jockey Club has been closely following the development of the novel coronavirus,” a HKJC statement read. “We are also well aware of public concerns over the health risks associated with crowds and the potential impact on the upcoming Chinese New Year race day scheduled for 27 January 2020.”
The chances of a full-blown epidemic seem minsicule, but health officials across the world are going to great lengths to contain the spread.
Here is what a doctor in France told reporters through the Associated Press.
“This illness is a lot less serious – and we don’t say this based on our two patients (in France), but talking to our international colleagues – than, for example, SARS (Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome),” said Dr. Yazdan Yazdanpeneh said when making the comparison between this recent outbreak and the SARS outbreak of 2002.
Forty people have been confirmed dead in China, but China is well known for holding back information when holding back seems expedient to the government.
The measure being taken seem symbolic in nature, as some medical experts deem the actual health risk of going to the race as no more risky than going to a restaurant or shopping mall.
Those who are permitted to enter Sha Tin will receive temperature screenings and are advised to wear medical masks, but according to reports, the incubation period of the coronavirus is anywhere from seven to 14 days, meaning that someone who appears healthy could be carrying and possibly transmitting the virus before actual symptoms appear.