Tánaiste: Cheltenham would have been cancelled if it was in Ireland

The director of Cheltenham race course Ian Renton has defended the decision to go ahead with the annual racing festival.

"We took significant precautions and racegoers are heeding our advice," he told RTÉ radio's Today with Séan O'Rourke show.

"We have followed our own government's advice," he said.

A lot of people had chosen not to attend the festival, added Mr Renton.

Earlier on RTÉ's Morning Ireland Minister for Health Simon Harris said that as of now the UK is not deemed an infection area so no measures will be taken with regard to people returning to Ireland from Cheltenham.

Tánaiste, Simon Coveney, speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, said that in his view if Cheltenham had been held in Ireland it would not have gone ahead.

The British government is following the advice of their own health officials while the Irish government is following the advice of Irish health experts, he said.

Mr Coveney said: "Our position is supported by the WHO and the ECDC and our own public health workers."