Trouble is you can't close everything down because you think people might behave badly. The country has to start to re-open or we're all doomed in one way or another. People have to start behaving more responsibly. They have to be made to understand that they can make the difference. Not easy I know but it must happen. I've heard lots of people saying shut this, shut that all the time and they're mostly older, retired people with no job/livelihood to lose who never did spend their time in pubs of a saturday night so the impact on them is minimal.
I wouldn't disagree one bit with what you're saying.I like a good drink at the racing and I've woke up ,the morning after some outings,wondering how I got home?.Thankfully I've moved on from that and quite enjoy a day at the races with some of my grandkids. The problem is that if things don't start to move again(in all sectors,not just the sport of kings),we run the risk of losing our way of life,our interests,our minds. The BHA is already sending out distress signals regarding prize money and without punters/racegoers on the lawns of our venues the revenue has essentially dried up,trainers will fold as a result,racecourses will close and owners will cease to invest. Drink and forgetting about social distancing seem to be the primary cause in this new spike and yes,like you,I am concerned but if we are to curtail all drinking in pubs across the U.K then everything connected to it will also fold. We live in difficult times but I'm of the opinion that we need to move out of this,bit by bit,and try to get back to somewhere near the 'old normal.
I think you will find retired people like me spent more time in pubs growing up and still did regularly after retirement than many of today's younger generation are drinking less than previous generations of that age did. All through my life, looking back, I spent too much time and money in pubs, to the detriment of family life, as many of my generation did.
Prize money has been slashed, not just at smaller meetings, but also the prestige events. This wont affect the big players and their trainers as much as the one or two horse owner. If there are no on course bookmakers the levy is much reduced and the downward spiral continues. I checked the future entries for a northern trainer last week. Possibly in the hope of a few quid prize money he, seemingly, had entered everything in his stable for that weeks racing. To do that he would have to reached an agreement with the owners, they pay for their horse to go racing, pay the jockey, pay the travelling head lad. As you say, it is not just racing, these are indeed difficult times. I wonder how long is it before we see the return of the old normal. Or, the mind boggles, what if this is the new normal?
All the people I grew up with are. It was just the way it was. I would do things differently if given the chance.
Right Tigerscave own up.....Who have you dobbed Doncaster racecourse in to? No crowd's allowed for the rest of the meeting!!
Man swallows whole Covid testing swab stick by accident Patient visits Hull Royal Infirmary after unfortunate incident as he tested for coronavirus A man being tested for Covid accidentally swallowed the entire swab stick. The shocked man had to visit Hull Royal Infirmary after the incident. Covid swab sticks are typically six inches long and are like giant cotton buds with material on the top of a thin six inch plastic or polystyrene holder. They are used to reach into the mouth and swab fluid from the throat of people who could have coronavirus. please log in to view this image The Covid testing takes swabs from the back of the throat and the nose (Image: Getty) It is unclear whether the patient was trying to test himself or had swallowed the stick after visiting a testing station. Hull Royal Infirmary said they were “unable to comment”after the incident on Tuesday. Although there have been serious problems conducting and processing Covid tests, with many unable to get appointments, it is extremely rare for them to go wrong. But in Albuquerque, America, a man being tested for Covid at a drive-thru clinic had to swallow his swab when part of the stick snapped as he was being tested by a nurse. Orlando Skidmore said: “She stuck it in my left nostril and she was counting to ten and somewhere between six and eight I heard it snap,but I thought it was something the device is supposed to be doing, and then she pulled out the stem and the rest of it didn't come out. After visiting a local hospital, nursing staff said they believed he had swallowed it. “Hopefully through biological processes it will come loose,”Mr Skidmore said. Mr Skidmore said he didn’t want his experience to discourage anyone from getting tested and described it as a freak accident.
