Churchill administers more than 1,800 coronavirus tests, 47 workers test positive

A total of 47 people working at Churchill Downs in Louisville have been told to quarantine according to CDC and local guidelines after the track completed a round of coronavirus testing on the track’s backside and frontside, according to figures provided by the track on Wednesday.

According to Darren Rogers, Churchill conducted 1,823 tests of staff and backstretch workers from Aug. 19 to Aug. 24. The 47 total positive tests represented a positivity rate of 2.83 percent, compared to an approximate average of 5 percent in Kentucky over the past month.

CDC guidelines call for different lengths of quarantine depending on whether a person who tests positive displays any of the symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. Rogers said that all persons who tested positive will be required to test negative prior to being allowed back on the backstretch.

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Churchill Downs resumes live racing on Sept. 1 for a five-day meet, concluding with the rescheduled Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5. Rogers said that the positive tests will not have an impact on the track’s operations during the five-day meet.

No spectators are being allowed at the track for any of the five live race days, and all horsemen and riders arriving at the track are required to test negative for coronavirus and pass a health check.