After a three-month long ban on any non-essential personnel, the Goulburn Race Club has announced it will open its doors to patrons once again this Friday.
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Over the course of the COVID-19 lockdown, the race club was allowed to continue holding meets, but there were exceptionally strict rules in place as to who was allowed to attend.
With horse owners and non-essential club staff barred on race days, even club chairman Ken Ikin was not immune to these measures.
"Prior to this meeting, I was not allowed to go to the club when the races were on," Ikin said.
"Because I'm over 65 and Racing NSW had an age limit on who was allowed to attend, and I didn't have a specific job, I wasn't essential. So I wasn't allowed to go to the Goulburn race track."
Despite being forced to watch the races on television, Ikin fully supported the restrictions and stated how important it was that Goulburn adhere to them as closely as possible.
"It's important that Goulburn is a leading country track in NSW, we're expected to lead and we will be," he said.
"Absolutely [we're relieved], but we're very cautious. One wrong thing, as we all know, could spoil the whole industry.
"The racing industry is very important, it's a multi-billion dollar industry for Australia, so we must do everything possible to keep everyone safe.
"I can't emphasize enough, as far as we're concerned, it's not over by a long shot. We will strictly adhere to the rules from Racing NSW and the state government."
Several restrictions will remain in play when the doors open on Friday.
The number of patrons allowed in the club will be limited to 500 to ensure social distancing protocols are followed. The club will strictly enforce spacing of four square metres per person, on which Ikin said there will be "no discussions".
As both the bars and the canteen will also be closed, Ikin said the former will be used as makeshift jockey rooms.
"We've got to have four separate areas for jockeys, two for females and two for males," he said.
"The member's bar is now a jockey room, in the short term of course, and the public bar is going to be petitioned off as another jockey's room."
There will be a full card of seven races on the day, which Ikin expects to feature high-quality racing.
"We're lucky enough to be in close proximity of Sydney tracks. We have some really really good Sydney horses come to Goulburn ,so we expect some very good racing," he said.
The Goulburn Race Club's gates open at 11am on Friday, July 10, with the first race scheduled to get underway at 12.05pm and the final race expected to take place at 4.30pm.
The full list of bio-security measures is as follows:
- The venue is limited to 500 patrons
- You must provide your name and telephone number or email address upon entry
- Social distancing of 1.5m must be adhered to - this includes following all floor distance markings
- Bars and cafe facilities will not be available however the club will have mobile food van available for food and coffee as well as a charity run sausage sizzle
- Members Lounge will be closed due to this area being used as a jockeys isolation area
- TAB facilities will be available
You must NOT attend the premises if you:
- Are experiencing cold or flu like symptoms
- Are awaiting COVID-19 test results
- Have been in contact with a person who has tested positive to COVID-19
- Have returned from international travel and have failed to observe Government quarantine restrictions
All persons attending Goulburn Race Club are encouraged to download and have operational the COVIDSafe App, including have their Bluetooth setting turned on while attending.
For more information, please visit the Goulburn Race Club website at www.goulburnraceclub.com.au.
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