Courtesy Woerner (2021)
Carrie Woerner
Saying she is thankful that the governor’s office has reopened arenas with limited capacity, New York State Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner faxed a letter to the governor asking for guidance for the state racetracks by Thursday April 22.
Racetracks in the state are allowed to open this Friday, and the horses at Belmont Park on Long Island will run then. In Saratoga, spring training is starting this week, and horses, owners and trainers are expected to show.
“Detailed guidance needs to be available at least one day in advance to make sure the track can open safely and successfully to fans,” the Assemblywoman (D-113) wrote in the letter shared on Twitter.
Unlike arenas which have assigned seats, racetracks have assigned and general seating.
“Racetracks are a hybrid of indoor venues, parks, restaurants and casinos,” she wrote. She says that casinos actually have a higher indoor capacity than the tracks, and they are totally indoors.
She asks the governor to “address the unique attributes of a racetrack.”
In an interview today, she said the letter stemmed from a conversation she had with officials at the New York Racing Association. She asked if they had all the guidance they needed and heard they did not.
The basic guidance says 20% capacity is allowed at the track, “What we don’t know is 20% of what,” she said.
For a baseball stadium, it might 20% of reserved seats. For a restaurant, it’s 75% of table space. A racetrack has both reserved seats and standing room against the rail. It has picnic areas and restaurants.
"Sometimes it's like a restaurant, sometimes it's like a park,” she said.
She agreed, generally, with a concern Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Todd Shimkus had a month ago: the rules are arbitrary.
At restaurants, a person does not need to show a negative COVID test result. The person does not need to show proof of vaccination. In a casino, people walk in with few restrictions, and the casino makes sure the number does not exceed the maximum.
"There does not appear to be all that much obvious logic," she said. She would like to see the governor’s office treat similar venues similarly and to see the rules for racetracks reflect the complex nature of the venue, she said.