From pubs to hair salons, calls for more financial support as owners blame mixed Covid messages
Thousands of business have been left reeling by a dramatic drop in trade in the run-up to Christmas, with concerns about the Omicron variant of Covid-19 prompting consumers to cancel bookings or stay away. The work-from-home guidance introduced last week under plan B measures in England has left city centres depopulated. Some business owners blamed the falloff on mixed messages from the government, after the chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, advised against socialising but venues were allowed to stay open. Here are some of the areas of the economy that have been hardest hit:
