New Kentucky Derby attendance plan: No infield, seating limited, masks required
Churchill Downs on Wednesday announced a revised plan for the 2020 Kentucky Derby that will eliminate all general admission, including infield seating.
Masks will be mandatory, indoors and outdoors, Churchill Downs said.
Attendance will be capped at less than 23,000 guests, according to the revised plan. That is equal to less than 14 percent of total capacity from the record crowd of 170,513 at the 2015 Derby, according to Churchill.
The Kentucky Derby traditionally is run on the first Saturday in May, but due to the coronavirus pandemic it was pushed back to Sept. 5 this year.
Churchill originally planned to allow spectators into the infield but not under the grandstand.
“However, given current circumstances, pre-purchased general admission tickets will be refunded, and the infield will be closed,” Churchill said Wednesday.
Ticket sales had been stopped last month, well below the agreed upon limits, according to CEO Bill Carstanjen.
There will be no standing-room only or “walk around” tickets either; all outdoor ticket holders will be reseated in a new location to provide for maximum social distancing, Churchill said.
To help spectators know what to do and where to go, there will be thousands of signs and floor decals. Churchill Downs personnel will be protected behind protective Plexiglas panels.
The news release said that compliance with the safety measures will be strictly enforced by security personnel; offenders get a warning and repeat offenders “will be escorted from the property.”
Even with 500 hand sanitizer stations and mandatory masks, “an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present,” Churchill Downs said in its release.
The full revised safety plan makes it clear that anyone who attends assumes “all risks related to the exposure to COVID-19.”
If you still want to come, you’ll have to buy a ticket in advance online at ChurchillDowns.com, Ticketmaster.com or the Churchill Downs mobile app because none will be sold at the gate on the day of the event. All tickets will be digital.
“The opportunity to safely welcome back a limited number of guests to Churchill Downs on the first week of September is a privilege that our team doesn’t take for granted,” said Churchill Downs racetrack president Kevin Flanery. “Our extensive plan meets or exceeds all recommended state and local guidelines. We’ve received an exceptional level of support from regulators, medical experts and public health authorities and we’ll continue to carefully work with them to ensure we’re doing everything we can to keep our customers, employees and communities safe.”
And more changes may be announced as necessary.
“We will have fewer guests at this year’s Derby as reducing the size of the crowd is an important step to ensuring a safe environment,” Flanery said in the release. “Medical best practices and protocols — many of which we have applied in consultation with experts both inside and outside the sports industry — will be implemented, and we’ll make adjustments all the way up to Derby Day as we find ways to improve and continue to adhere to ever-evolving best practices.”
Here are some of the ways Derby will be different:
▪ Movement throughout the Downs will be “severely limited,” according to the new plan. Spectators will be allowed only in their specific areas. Elevator capacity will be reduced and some stairways will be one way.
▪ Betting online is encouraged but there will be some pari-mutuel tellers, spaced farther apart and provided with PPE.
▪ Spectators, who will have to pass a health screening to get in, also will get a courtesy bag containing a disposable mask, hand sanitizer and a stylus for self-service betting machines.
▪ Food will be mostly pre-packaged from concession stands. Buffets in seated areas are gone; plated meals and meal packages from pre-set menus will be served.
▪ Parking shuttles will be eliminated and guests are encouraged to park in the neighborhoods around the track. Those who have paid for reserved parking will be refunded.
▪ Also gone: Most Derby Week activities including autograph signings, concerts on the Plaza, fashion contests, Taste of Derby, the Survivors Parade and the Red Carpet. Dawn at the Downs will be Aug. 31 and limited to spectators with reserved seats.
▪ No guests will be allowed in the stable area for morning workouts or during the races.
▪ More protocols for the stable area and race participants including jockeys will be coming soon.
This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 9:57 AM.
