England's courses on Westminster watch for Covid announcements

Racecourses and racegoers in England will be paying keen attention to Westminster over the days ahead after coronavirus restrictions came into effect in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on Sunday.

Spectators at ten of the 11 Sunday meetings were able to enjoy the action with limited restrictions placed on them, such as the requirement for Covid passes, although Leopardstown took place without crowds after the course was forced to run its four-day Christmas fixture behind closed doors due to rising Covid-19 cases and staff shortages.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson ruled out any new restrictions in England before Christmas, beyond those introduced this month as part of the Plan B measures, which included working from home where possible and wearing a face covering in shops and on public transport. But he said he could not rule out making changes to the rules in the days afterwards, although reports on Sunday suggested he may be leaning away from further restrictions.

A new high of 122,186 cases of coronavirus were reported in the United Kingdom on Friday, the most recent figures available from the government, with one in 35 people estimated last week to have Covid-19 by the Office of National Statistics.

The increasing figures have been driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the illness, with the reintroduction of measures designed to slow the spread coming into force on Sunday and Monday in countries other than England.

In Scotland, outdoor events are capped at 500 people with social distancing of one metre required at public events. Table service for venues serving alcohol and a limit of three households mixing have been put in place.

Sporting events are closed to the public in Wales, meaning no crowd at the Coral Welsh Grand National on Monday, with the rule of six and two-metre social distancing required in public and at offices.

The rule of six, where a maximum of six people from different households can meet, will be in force in Northern Ireland from Monday as well.

Packed Kempton: will it be the same for racegoers after the prime minister addresses the country in the days ahead?Credit: Edward Whitaker

Racegoers at Kempton on Sunday found little difficulty attending the races, with David Shine and David Hogan travelling to the course from Cork using an EU Digital Covid Certificate.

"It was absolutely perfect. We thought there might've been some delays, but there were no problems at all," Shine said. "We flew over from Cork this morning and it was so easy. The only problem will be getting home if we have a few too many beers!"

The experience was similarly straightforward for more local racegoers at Kempton too, with the entry process taking up no additional time.

“It was so easy,” said Mandy Hall from Hayes. “We just showed our NHS app and then walked straight in. It's just like showing your ticket. We definitely don't mind having to do that. If it keeps racing going, that's great."

Sian Mcardle, a racegoer arriving at Kempton from west London, added: "There was no problem at all. It was very easy to get in, absolutely super."

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