Coronavirus concerns will not cancel Palm Beach equestrian competition, officials say
Coronavirus concerns have canceled March Madness and a string of other major professional and college sports in the United States. But it’s not stopping Palm Beach’s equestrian competition from finishing its fifth season. But organizers are taking precautions.
The Palm Beach Masters Series, which is a collection of high-performance show jumping competitions hosted at Deeridge Farms in Wellington, says its Palm Beach Open is still continuing as scheduled Saturday and Sunday.
Show officials made the announcement early Saturday on Instagram, about two days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Florida should cancel all gatherings of 250 people or more to help limit the spread of COVID-19 in the community.
The Palm Beach Open ends Sunday and is the last event of the series this year. It features “show jumping’s” best athletes and rising stars, according to the Palm Beach Masters series website.
Show officials also announced Saturday new restrictions on who can attend the events:
Anyone who has returned from China, Italy or South Korea — areas that have seen a significant number of COVID-19 cases — within the last two weeks are being asked not to enter the venue. Those who know they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus should also not enter the venue.
COVID-19 has infected more than 149,000 people across the globe, including in the United States, and has killed more than 5,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. Florida has 70 residents and seven non-Florida residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, as of Saturday morning.
This doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the show. The Palm Beach Masters Series will be livestreaming the events on its website if you don’t mind paying $9.99 per event or $15.99 for its “Unlimited Package,” which will give you access to all of the events.
The Palm Beach Open has three events on its Saturday schedule — The Bainbridge Tour Classic, the Limitless PBM Tour Classic and the Palm Beach Masters Classic.
On Sunday, the day will start with the CS12* Roeckl PBM Tour Final and the CS12* Bainbridge Tour Final. The last event is the CS14* Palm Beach Masters Final at 1:30 p.m.
Those who want to see the Palm Beach Masters Series results can visit results.hippodata.de/2020/1784/html/en/hippodata/index.html
