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Coronavirus: ABP Southampton Marathon statement

The organisers of the ABP Southampton Marathon have been working closely with Southampton City Council and public bodies and we are closely monitoring the situation with regards to the Coronavirus. We are aware that other marathons have been disrupted in areas where the virus has become widespread. At present the ABP marathon attracts 10,000 runners – the majority of which are regionally based. The large-scale events which have been cancelled so far have 40,000 plus entrants attracting large numbers of long-distance travellers.
At present, The UK Chief Medical Officers have said the risk to individuals in the UK remains low, and we recommend following NHS advice on Coronavirus symptoms and how it can be spread here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Current situation:
The ABP Southampton Marathon intends to go ahead on Sunday 26th April 2020 as planned unless otherwise recommended by the Government and local authorities where there is deemed to be a risk. This advice will be updated as the event date draws closer. We are in regular communications with Southampton City Council and the local health public bodies.
We do however recommend the following advice for runners travelling from overseas or those intending to travel to affected areas prior to the event:

Advice for overseas runners:
If you are travelling from an area which currently has been affected with the virus, we would recommend checking with your insurance company about cancellation options. The organisers will be happy to defer or refund your race entry to 2021 for you.

UK Runners travelling abroad:
If you are due to travel to an affected area before the race, please check to see if this is essential travel. If you are returning within two weeks of the event date from an affected area, we recommend that you do not attend the event. The organisers will be happy to defer or refund your entry in full.
If you have any symptoms or are feeling unwell we recommend that you follow the NHS website advice: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/advice-for-travellers/

On Event day:
If you are feeling at all unwell – DO NOT travel to the race or take part in the event. Our runners’ safety is our top priority and we want to ensure everyone is fit and well for the race.
For more information on Coronavirus: UK advice, symptoms, tests and treatment visit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51674696
This information will be updated as required in the coming weeks and we will ensure all runners are notified of these updates.

Happy running
Chris Rees
Race Director

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