'There are no guarantees' - Sajid Javid refuses to rule out further restrictions

Health secretary Sajid Javid on Sunday refused to rule out further Covid-19 restrictions being imposed in England before Christmas to combat the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

The racing and betting industries face increased uncertainty as rising Omicron cases have prompted scientific advisers to the government to push for extra restrictions, something Javid did not dismiss when speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday.

A report in The Times on Friday evening suggested government officials had prepared draft regulations that would reintroduce restrictions similar to those in step two of the country's roadmap out of lockdown last spring. Racing took place behind closed doors during that period with limited owners in attendance, but betting shops were permitted to open.

The RCA did not want to comment on speculation when approached on Saturday, while the BHA said it would “continue to monitor and await guidance from the various governments regarding any further developments”.

Javid said: “We are assessing the situation, it’s very fast-moving. We know this thing [Omicron] is spreading rapidly. We know already now that in London, it's around 80 per cent of infections, in England it's around 60 per cent of infections.”

On the prospect of further restrictions coming in, he added: “There are no guarantees in this pandemic, I don't think. At this point we just have to keep everything under review."

A further 82,886 Covid-19 cases were reported across the UK on Sunday, a fall on Saturday's figure of 90,418 but significantly up on a week ago.

On Monday Chepstow will learn what, if any, impact restrictions will have on its Coral Welsh Grand National meeting on December 27 with first minister Mark Drakeford due to confirm plans for sport.

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