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LONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Pubs and restaurants across
Britain could face greater restrictions to tackle the jump in
COVID-19 cases, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday,
sending shares plunging once again.
Hancock was asked in a television interview if people would
be able to go to the pub this weekend. "We'll be absolutely
clear about changes that we need to make in the very, very near
future," he told ITV.
Asked if that meant no, he replied: "It's not a no and it's
not a yes. We've been working on this all weekend, we haven't
taken the final decision about what we need to do in response to
the surge that we've seen."
Shares in Britain's listed pubs and restaurant groups,
including JD Wetherspoon, Mitchells & Butlers,
Marston's and Restaurant Group, fell between 9
and 18% on the stock market.
The wider FTSE 100 bluechip index was down 3%.
The United Kingdom already has the biggest official COVID-19
death toll in Europe - and the fifth largest in the world - and
has seen a sharp rise in cases since the beginning of this
month.
Pubs in parts of the country already under local lockdown
restrictions have been forced to close at 2100 GMT and comments
from Hancock that the virus is spreading in social circumstances
stoked expectations that further restrictions would be imposed.
Vast swathes of the economy were forced to shut for three
months earlier this year to halt the spread of COVID, with pubs,
restaurants, cinemas and leisure centres all closing their
doors.
Good weather in the summer has helped to drive a recovery,
with many drinkers and diners sitting outside to meet friends.
Many smaller hospitality owners have warned they may not survive
if they have to shut again.
(Reporting by Kate Holton and Estelle Shirbon, Editing by Paul
Sandle)
