16 March: BD coronavirus update

In light of today’s briefing by the Prime Minister and the advice provided by medical experts on the public health risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic, British Dressage will be reviewing the immediate impact on our activities, competitions and events as an urgent priority.

The senior management team has been working on contingency plans based on different scenarios over the past week and these will be presented to BD Board Directors tomorrow.  An emergency Board Meeting has already been scheduled to discuss the wide-ranging implications for the sport in more detail and a formal announcement on our plans will be made on Wednesday morning.

We appreciate that the coronavirus outbreak will continue to be a major concern for everyone and will work swiftly to update our policies and guidance for organisers and venues over the next 24 hours.  It is a hugely complex and ever-evolving situation and we need to ensure that we consider the impact on all of our stakeholder groups.

In the meantime, we would urge all of our members to heed the official advice, particularly for those who fall into any of the potential ‘high risk’ categories, including the elderly, pregnant women and those who have underlying health conditions.