Racing Victoria (RV) Stewards, acting on the advice of RV’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and in an abundance of caution, advise that they have stood down jockey Craig Williams for a period of 14 days commencing 28 June 2021.
Williams returned from Brisbane on 27 June 2021 where he had spent the past month riding. South East Queensland, including Brisbane, was declared a COVID red zone by the Victorian Government as of 1.00am today, 30 June 2021. At the same time, the Victorian Government determined that Brisbane would be retrospectively declared an orange zone from 22 June 2021.
RV’s biosecurity protocols regarding interstate travel state that any licensed or registered participant who was in a green or orange zone that has since been determined to be a red zone – but was not red when they were there and has not been retrospectively determined as red by the Victorian Government since they left – may be prohibited from attending a licensed premises for 14 days from their return.
The determination on whether the Stewards impose the full 14-day stand down is made in consultation with RV’s CMO on a case-by-case basis and gives consideration to the circumstances of the individual, including how long they were in the designated zone and whether they had attended any high-risk exposure sites, and of the State in question.
The Stewards advise that they have granted approval for Williams to accept rides at Flemington on Saturday to allow for a situation whereby the Government changes the zones again in the next 48 hours. The Stewards, acting in consultation with RV’s CMO and on the latest Government directives, will make a determination by late Friday afternoon whether Williams can fulfill his commitments.
Further to the above, the Stewards also advise that several licensed Victorian trainers are the subject of the same 14-day stand down as Williams after returning from Brisbane after 22 June 2021.
These trainers, whose identity RV does not intend to disclose at this time, have been stood down by RV Stewards acting on the advice of the RV CMO. Their situation will be continually reviewed in line with health advice and directives both in Victoria and Queensland.