Grim situation as lockdown by proxy bites
Instead the sector appears to be facing something a little worse, a lockdown by proxy, where the Prime Minister tells us we’ve got to ride it out while his scientific gurus continue to terrify the living bejesus out of us with horrifying stats.
As such, the mixed messages around limiting socialising but carrying on as normal hammer pubs and bars, without the kind of support an actual lockdown would bring.
I think that’s called dodging a bullet from the Government perspective, or perhaps just not accepting responsibility for the damage it is doing to a sector that would be helping to drive an economic recovery.
The Government does need to step up and provide some meaningful support of some variety, rather than the derisory sums it’s provided to make up for the lost Christmas trade, even flexible furlough would be a welcome shot in the arm.
Christmas car crash
The trade has had two consecutive years where we’ve seen Christmas, that boom time of year that helps even out the slower winter months, snatched away from us at the last minute, this year by stealth.
Without support, we’re going to see more businesses go to the wall as the winter months really start to bite, and that’s without the charities pushing their non-drinking, avoid the pub agenda (thanks guys, way to kick a sector while it’s down, perhaps show a bit more support for an industry that does a lot to help the charity sector out?).
One way that could help just not our sector, but the country as a whole, is to address the farcical isolation system. We’ve seen some steps towards this, but it needs seriously addressing.
Omicron is being shown to be a mild variation, with limited to little impact for most. We’re effectively asking a lot of people to sit at home for seven days with little to no symptoms. We don’t do that with the common cold!
The damage being done by self-isolation is causing the biggest headaches for most businesses, particularly hospitality, and there needs to be a sensible solution found asap - that would be a welcome show of support from Government.
