No crowds at this year's Melbourne Cup carnival

[imastawka]

The Victoria Racing Club has conceded it's now impossible to host crowds at this year's Melbourne Cup carnival in a bitter blow for the club.

VRC chairman Amanda Elliott said the club had submitted a "comprehensive" proposal to the state government on how it could manage crowds safely during the four-day carnival, but said it was now clear that crowds would not be allowed on course.

"While we are very disappointed not to be able to welcome our members and racegoers to Cup week, we understand the government's commitment to keeping our community safe. We also recognise the need for certainty and clarity for our patrons, being only six days out from Derby Day," Elliott said.

"We are still in discussions regarding the potential return to the track for a small number of owners, as is currently permitted in regional Victoria.

"What is certain is the Melbourne Cup carnival will go ahead with viewing audiences watching from across Australia and around the world. The spirit of Cup week, the high quality racing and the 160th running of the people's Cup will be enjoyed by millions."

More than 300,000 people attended Flemington over the four days of the 2018 carnival, according to the VRC's most recent annual report, which provided an economic benefit of $447.6 million.

But this year's Cup will be run and won in front of empty grandstands, just like Saturday's Cox Plate and the Caulfield Cup seven days earlier.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/no-crowds-at-this-year-s-melbourne-cup-carnival/ar-BB1amVK1...

[springyzone]

Nothing else has been allowed to take place-no Melbourne show, wedding receptions cancelled, only a handful of people at funerals, no football here and so on, so I suppose it is fair that racing events can't host big crowds either.

The regulations are easing slightly now but that has only happened in the last 24 hours & the trouble is, there is no way of predicting exactly where we'll be in the future. We had zero cases yesterday but sometimes it takes a couple of weeks for symptoms to show up or tests to prove positive and we may still have an outbreak of cases ahead of us from this northern suburbs cluster.

I'm just trying to figure out how the races could be run with limited crowds and am guessing the only way would be with pre paid tickets, (which i think is usually the way with Melbourne Cup day at least, anyway?) But the main trouble is the tickets would need to have been on sale a few weeks back and no one knew then when restrictions would ease. If we come right down to it, we don't even know if the eased restrictions will even stay in place. I am hoping things are improving but I feel very uncertain about it all at the moment.

I guess it is just a sign of the times, isn't it. A very different scene for everything in 2020. At least for us here in Melbourne.

[*tippy*toes*]

The on course bookies will be the ones feeling it on race day, more than the crowds who can't attend. I guess they are in the same boat as pretty much every other business in Melbourne at the moment.

[springyzone]

Looks like the crowds are still out, just they are at K mart.

I was disgusted to see and read of long queues of people waiting to get in at midnight.

Mainly disgusted though to see the crowds inside the stores!

I thought stores were supposed to have number caps on them? Our local shopping centre has a sign up in the window of each store, saying what their maximum numbers are.

So why were the crowds for K mart not distancing in the queue (as we all did when we lined up to get into supermarkets).

And why were there not workers at the doors, keeping the numbers of people in store lower.

It is not as if this virus has disappeared, some people are plain stupid and will be the first to whinge if we have a 3rd wave.

I can't think of anything in K mart that is so marvellous that I would be queueing to rush in and buy at midnight.

https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/fears-of-a-third-wave-after-wild-kmart-scenes-in-melbourne-c-1472305?...

[davidc4430]

and the crowds go crazy!