In advance of Runhappy Travers Day on Saturday, August 8, NYRA communications director Pat McKenna issued the following statement to address questions regarding the New York Travel Advisory and its impact on horse owners seeking to travel to Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.
To align with required health and safety measures implemented in New York by Governor Andrew Cuomo to mitigate risk and combat the spread of COVID-19, horse owners planning travel to New York from any of the states currently listed on the New York Travel Advisory are required to complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival in New York prior to seeking access to Saratoga Race Course.
Owners should be advised that New York state provides no exceptions for those pursuing non-essential travel from states listed on the travel advisory, and a negative COVID-19 diagnostic test does not waive the 14-day quarantine requirement.
There are currently 35 states/territories listed under the travel advisory including the prominent horse racing regions of Kentucky, California, Florida, Maryland, Texas, Virginia and South Carolina. Owners from these 35 states/territories who have completed the mandatory 14-day quarantine, as well as owners from any state not currently listed on the travel advisory, will continue to be permitted at Saratoga Race Course on the day that their horse is entered to run with prior NYRA approval.
Owners are subject to a mandatory temperature check before entering the property and are required to practice social distancing and to wear a facial covering at all times while at Saratoga Race Course. These measures are actively enforced by NYRA security and the NYRA safety stewards.
The full list of affected states is below:
- Alaska
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Iowa
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- Montana
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
Information on the travel advisory can be found online, and Saratoga's protocols for owner access are on its website.
