Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told press Tuesday that he will meet with officials at Churchill Downs next week to confer about safety protocols for this year's Kentucky Derby. Beshear answered questions from reporters after an announcement that the Indy 500 will take place with no fans.
Beshear said that if the race were about to be run in the coming days, he would like to see changes to the track's plan, which calls for reduced capacity in all areas of the facility. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, plans approved by Beshear in May call for a 33 percent capacity in outdoor dining areas, 61 percent fewer general admission tickets, and 57 percent less outdoor seating. Churchill Downs officials said on an earnings call last week that the track had stopped selling its limited offer of general admission tickets recently despite not selling out.
The Courier-Journal reported Churchill Downs staff are in regular communication with Beshear's office and public health officials and will be monitoring COVID-19 statistics particularly closely through the next week. Daily statewide totals of coronavirus positives have increased sharply from what they were in March and April. The state's positivity rate has also climbed to 5.24 percent Tuesday based on a seven-day rolling average. State health officials have urged Kentucky residents to avoid travel to states experiencing spikes in COVID-19 positives, and to quarantine for two weeks after returning from travel to states with a 15 percent positivity rate or higher.
Read more at the Louisville Courier-Journal
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