When even elected Republican leaders are starting to get religion on dealing with the increasing spread of Covid-19, how long will NYRA continue to ignore it? As I wrote in this post, NYRA had initially planned to separate the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, but changed prior to the open of Saratoga in favor of a policy of trusting the irresponsible to become responsible so they could get down on the double. So the track was open to all, with no restrictions, as if the virus were no longer a threat.
But the Delta variant of the virus has become an increasing threat both because of its higher level of transmissibility and the more serious consequences if one contracts it. According to the Albany Times Union, Saratoga County now is rated “high” in its level of community transmission. This prompted the county’s Public Health Services to recommend “that all people — whether fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated, or unvaccinated — wear a mask when … outdoors in crowded settings, and when engaging in activities that involve close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.”
That sounds like a description of the rail on Whitney Day where the crowds were 10, 15 or 20 people deep, almost none of whom were wearing masks. With some 70 per cent of vaccinated folks in Saratoga, that would indicate the odds were that one of every three in that crowd were not vaccinated.
While this may not put Saratoga on the same level as a super spreader event as the Sturgis motorcycle rally, it doesn’t require a hundred thousand people for you to get the virus, it only requires one. NYRA is apparently content with doing nothing to minimize the risk of spreading a deadly infection.
Tom Noonan 