Iceland managing director Richard Walker has encouraged people to get vaccinated as the number of staff forced to take time off in the latest wave of the Covid-19 pandemic climbed.
Walker said that the absence rate at Iceland had surpassed levels reached during earlier lockdowns.
He tweeted: “Interesting to note that previous lockdowns all coincided with our Covid absence rate breaching 600-650 colleagues. Today’s is 700.
“Please let’s all get jabbed folks! Last thing we want or business needs is another lockdown.”
Walker’s comments echo the concerns of other retailers who fear that more cases of the fast-growing Omicron variant and the associated self-isolation it requires are likely to create pressure as absence rates rise. Others, however, are confident that they have the flexibility to ride out any turbulence.
The new variant has led to the introduction of further restrictions across the UK and in Europe.
Public concern and guidance to work from home has hit footfall in key retail locations such as London’s West End, and there is speculation that Covid rules may be tightened in England next week.
Yesterday, the UK reported more than 100,000 new daily Covid-19 infections for the first time. However, there are some early indications that the Omicron variant may cause milder illness than its predecessor, Delta.
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