14 Mar: Yes or No: Was holding the Cheltenham Festival the right thing to do? 28 Mar: No

[muriel_volestrangler]

(For Americans: The Cheltenham Festival is the biggest annual event in British jump racing)
14th March:

After the four-day Cheltenham Festival at Prestbury Park ended yesterday, there were thousands of people counting their winnings or bemoaning the amount of money they lost on their bets.

But away from the sporting arena, there have been questions about whether the event should have gone ahead at all, at a time when the coronavirus is spreading throughout Gloucestershire, the UK and many other countries in the world. The virus was declared a pandemic on Wednesday, and the Government went to stage two in its virus planning on Thursday.
...
[director of Cheltenham Business Improvement District]
I supported the decision for one reason and one reason only. The advice from public health leaders and from the Government was that there was no reason to cancel large public gatherings.
...
[former town mayor]
The thought of 250,000 people descending into our town from anywhere in the world at a time of grave concern seemed to me to be a totally selfish decision in view of the consequences towards the residents of Cheltenham.

https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/cheltenham-news/yes-no-holding-cheltenham-festival-3947864

28th March:

Surge in Coronavirus patients in Gloucestershire sees cases hit 105 - as national figure now 17,089

Gloucestershire's Coronavirus total surged through 100, with the number of positive COVID-19 patients jumping by 27.

As of Saturday morning there were 105 confirmed cases in the county, including an elderly man who died after contracting the virus last week and another who died on Wednesday at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/health/surge-coronavirus-patients-gloucestershire-sees-3996193