Cheltenham crowds spark fears of repeated 'super-spreader' gathering

The Cheltenham Festival has this week drawn tens of thousands of avid horse racing fans to the Gloucestershire racecourse, sparking fears it could become a “super-spreader event” amid rising Covid-19 cases.

Photos showing packed stands and spectator areas on the first three days of the four-day event prompted concerns about the potential for another outbreak of the virus linked to the gathering.

In March 2020, right as the coronavirus was beginning to grip the UK, the government faced backlash for allowing Cheltenham to go ahead, while the Jockey Club, owners of the racecourse, also came in for severe criticism.

As infections in the UK are once again on the rise, there are fears the festival — one of the biggest fixtures in the annual British racing calendar — could be a repeat of the event two years ago.

Day one of the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday drew crowds of spectators to the racecourse. PA

Cases of the virus are on the rise among those over age 55, while hospital staff absences in England are also climbing.

The number of NHS hospital employees in England who called in sick due to Covid-19 have jumped to the highest levels in more than a month, figures released on Thursday showed, with numbers climbing in all regions.

An average of 17,579 staff at hospital trusts in England — 2 per cent of the total workforce — were absent each day last week, either because they were sick with Covid-19 or were self-isolating. The figure is up 19 per cent from the previous week and is the highest since the 21,325 absences reported in the week to February 13.

The data shows all regions have reported a week-on-week increase in Covid absences among hospital staff. The South-West of England recorded the biggest rise (32 per cent),