Picture: Reuters
Picture: Reuters
The tiered, regional approach will again see areas of the country face different restrictions, depending on certain factors such as case numbers, reproduction rate and pressure on the local National Health System (NHS).
Certain measures across the tiers have been strengthened to help prevent any further spread of Covid-19 after England exits lockdown next week, but the Prime Minister also set out how other restrictions would be eased.
These include allowing all forms of retail to open in all regions, regardless of which tier they are placed in. As such, betting shops, which have been closed during lockdown and had been forced to shut in regions with tier three measures, will be able to remain open.
The tiered system will remain in place until at least March and the government will set out what areas are placed into which tiers later this week, with the Prime Minister having warned more areas face being put into higher tiers than before lockdown.
The Prime Minister also said he has held discussions with ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland about a wider relaxation of rules over the Christmas period, with more people allowed to mix indoors for a set number of days.
Reflecting on the news that betting shops can reopen across England, Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) chief executive Michael Dugher said this would ease a lot of worries across the sector in terms of job losses. Last week, Dugher said betting shops would introduce stricter rules if it allowed them to continue operating.
“On top of the stringent anti-Covid measures betting shops already adhere to, our members have agreed to further restrictions to limit any chance of Covid-19 being transmitted in their premises. We now look forward to England coming out of lockdown next week, with betting shops back contributing to the Exchequer and playing their part in helping power the country’s economic recovery,” Dugher said.
However, Dugher also criticised the government for its plans to close casinos and other leisure venues in tier three regions, repeating his previous argument that there is no proof such facilities significantly contribute to the spread of Covid-19.
“Casinos are best-in-class amongst the hospitality sector when it comes to anti-Covid measures; there is no evidence that they contribute to the spread of the virus,” he said.
“We do welcome the decision to extend the hospitality curfew by an hour to 11pm, but we will continue to make the case that casinos are uniquely exposed to any curfew and we will press for their full and safe reopening in all parts of the country,” Dugher added.
He also spoke positively about the return of fans to sports events in tiers one and two, saying this would help the horse racing sector begin its recovery from COVID-19.
Source: iGB
