COVID-19 Restrictions Lifted from British Casinos and Bookmakers

By John Isaac,
Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac is an editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He writes expert articles on card games like blackjack and poker. In addition, he is also well aware of the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets. You can rely on verified information and insightful details.

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Last updated: February 7, 2022

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has shifted his COVID-19 response from “Plan B” to “Plan A.” The decision went into effect a few days ago. The requirement to wear masks in congested areas and COVID-19 vaccine passports will vanish in the near future.

The Prime Minister said that the transition to Plan A is the outcome of an increase in the vaccinated population. In addition to following Plan B recommendations and reducing new cases, a growing number of people are hopeful that the new omicron variant of COVID-19 is likely to be under control.

However, not everyone likes this decision.

“We’re just not there yet. You don’t see cases rising in the way we have in the last few weeks if something is endemic. It’s got to be a much more stable position,” – stated an unnamed health minister to The Guardian.

Time to Get Back to Work

The United Kingdom reinstated Plan B on 15 December 2021. Since then, face masks have had to be used in most public places. In addition, people needed to have COVID vaccine passports in order to visit certain places.

Plan B urges working from home, but it’s not required. Thousands of people can now back on the job.

Self-isolation continues after testing positive for COVID-19. This condition is not expected to end by 24 March but could be increased if the number of infected patients continues to decline.

British casinos, like others, have faced Plan B protocols. In recent years, they have faced problems that now may finally be addressed. However, while casinos are open, plenty of gambling shops has temporarily shut down during the pandemic.

In the financial year 2019, the total United Kingdom gambling winnings were £14.12 billion. By 2020, this figure decreased to £5.89 billion.

Now that the restrictions have been removed, gamblers can go back to their favorite casinos. Many people had been looking for casinos outside of the United Kingdom. Since Las Vegas lifted the restrictions and the UK didn’t, the number of British visitors to Las Vegas significantly increased. The former Wynn Resorts chief executive officer Matt Maddox said back in September last year that the number of players in the UK had grown from “nearly hundreds a day.”

The Omicron Threat Decreases

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 seems to be dropping in the United Kingdom. The daily Omicron cases statistics in the UK show that the weekly average of new patients has been steadily declining since the start of 2022. In the last seven days, these cases have decreased by 37%.

Daily infections in the UK remain high, but still declining. The country recorded 108,069 new cases last Wednesday.

The number of hospitalized patients is also falling. However, there is a lag between patients who have the virus and those who are seriously sick. As a result, the number of death cases continues to rise and is 14.7% more than the previous seven days.

Over 36 million booster doses are delivered in the United Kingdom right now. Combined with a sensible approach to social and community engagement, the country is hopeful that now it is in a more sustainable position.