BENGALURU: Jockeys applying for a licence for the upcoming racing season were in for a shock when 10 of them tested COVID-positive recently. The Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) has made it mandatory for jockeys applying for a licence to produce a COVID-negative certificate.
As they had no symptoms, they decided to get tested at another lab, and five tested negative. The rest are awaiting results. The jockeys who tested positive had a harrowing experience till their second test results came back. Also, these jockeys are living on loans given by the Jockeys Association of India (JAI).
JAI has provided them with a loan of Rs 10,000 per month since the lockdown in March. They also paid for the tests of jockeys who could not afford it.
The BTC refused to help. Jockey Ryan Ahmed (22) said Aster Labs conducted the first round of tests on the BTC premises. “My family and I were shocked by the results. Luckily, the second test came back negative.
Three more jockeys await results from the second test. Two have been taken to a BBMP Covid Care Centre and couldn’t take the second test.” JAI president Pradeep Chouhan said, “The 10 who first tested positive spent a lot of money for treatment. I’m told this is happening in many cases where tests are done in private labs.”
An Aster Labs spokesman said, “It is possible to get different results when the test is done on two different days. The results may change depending on viral load. The virus may shed in different amounts and may not be present in the back of the throat or nose when the swab is taken. It can also happen if the sample contains a dead virus.”