I read the story too. Found it odd that the Govt was worried about people rushing to the counter to get a final bet on and sharing the virus that way.
Having said that, I was out and about today for maybe a half hour. It almost looked like a normal day with lots of cars around. People at bus stops, even people on buses! Very few wearing masks. Many of the taxis I saw actually had passengers in them. Might venture into town next week (no roofsign) and see if there's many people about (ranks etc)