Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews today apologised for the short-lived decision to allow up to 1,250 racehorse owners and associates to attend the Cox Plate event on Saturday, saying the move fell way short of community expectations.
Fronting the media in Melbourne this morning, Andrews said he originally agreed with the decision, which would have allowed a large number of people to converge at the Moonee Valley Racing Club while COVID-19 restrictions limit other residents from meeting outside in groups larger than ten.
The Cox Plate decision faced an enormous online backlash on Tuesday night, causing the government to backflip on its decision just hours after it was made public. Taking to Twitter, the state’s Racing Minister Martin Pakula admitted it “was a mistake, given that other restrictions remain in place”.
“I apologise for any concern it caused and again I’m not here to defend the decision,” Andrews said today. “We have basically changed that, it is not happening on Saturday.”
Andrews confirmed the initial decision to allow large numbers of attendees was based on consultation with public health officials, and was dumped solely because of public opposition.
“It was cancelled because, clearly, it did not meet the expectations of the Victorian community,” Andrews said. “It is wrong to suggest it didn’t go to process, public health advice, and all of those things, but clearly it was, when you reflect upon it, not the right decision to make.”
When asked why an outdoors Cox Plate racing meet was approved while businesses remain closed and funerals remain capped at ten mourners, Andrews said the government is waiting on further case data before locking in widespread changes.
“I cannot predict what the [COVID-19 new case] number will be on Saturday and therefore we are waiting until Sunday, and I don’t think that’s unreasonable,” he said.
“And we will confirm for people that it will not be a series of snap announcements that will come into effect moments after I leave the stage on Sunday.”
Andrews yesterday said the city could see “significant” changes to its lockdown restrictions on Sunday, with a particular focus on the city’s hard-hit restaurants, bars, and pubs.
Of course, that depends on the state’s case numbers, which remain pretty low. The state today registered three new cases of COVID-19 and no deaths linked to the virus, which is promising news for everyone – not just folks linked to the state’s horse racing industry.
Yesterday there were 3 new cases and no loss of life reported. 14 day average in Metro Melbourne and Regional Vic are down. More data will be available later today. https://t.co/eTputEZdhs #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/Hmk16AURi2
— Victorian Department of Health (@VicGovDH) October 20, 2020
