The BTC and Racing Victoria made the call, which includes owners, to take the precautionary action on Tuesday morning.

A BTC statement released on Facebook said the staff member was not displaying COVID-19 symptoms, but had attended one of the tier one exposure sites after an infected person from New South Wales had been at the location.

The staff member, who was at the Ballarat racecourse on Sunday, when the BTC last raced, and Monday, is being tested on Tuesday and will isolate for 14 days.

The statement in full

Racing Victoria and the Ballarat Turf Club wish to advise that today's Sportsbet-Ballarat race meeting will proceed without any spectators, including owners, in attendance.

The decision has been made in an abundance of caution after it was established overnight that a BTC staff member had attended a Victorian tier 1 COVID exposure site announced last night.

RV and BTC note that the BTC staff member attended the site some period after the infected person from New South Wales.

That staff member, who is displaying no COVID symptoms, was in attendance at Ballarat racecourse on Sunday and Monday.

They are undergoing COVID testing today and will be required to isolate for 14 days in accordance with Government directives.

As a precautionary measure several other BTC staff, who have been identified by RV and BTC as close contacts of the staff member under industry protocols, have been asked to isolate by RV and BTC today pending the result of the individual's COVID test.

Following a risk assessment by RV's chief medical mfficer, today's meeting has been cleared to proceed as scheduled following a deep clean of the racing operations areas.

This clean is taking place this morning.

As a further precautionary measure, a deep clean of the public grandstand, which will not be in use for today's race meeting, will also be conducted today.