Businesses in the UK are seeking support from the government

Many businesses, such as restaurants and bars, faced declining sales and canceled reservations as Christmas approached, amid fear and anxiety caused by the rapidly increasing cases of the Omicron variant in the country.

The lodging industry has also warned that revenues will fall by about 40% this month, resulting in an economically difficult period.

Business owners and companies affected by the Covid-19 restrictions are calling for "urgent help" from the British government due to the victimization they experienced during the Christmas period, which is expected to be the busiest of the year.

"Demand decreased, reservations decreased"

Nick Mackenzie, CEO of Greene King, which consists of 2,700 bars, restaurants, and hotel chains across the UK, told BBC Radio 4 that last weekend should have been the busiest period of the Christmas season, but that the number of customers was small.

Mackenzie continued, "Demand is down, bookings are down. So the situation is pretty unsustainable. In the longer run, we need a 5 percent reduction in VAT to provide cash flow for businesses to survive into next year. Christmas is in January for many businesses. This is connected with preparing the cash flow."

The British government is currently not offering any further measures for businesses in distress.

Recalling that Rishi Sunak, the British Finance Minister, met with various business and industry representatives in recent days, a government spokesman said, "We recognize how important the festival period is to many businesses, and the government will continue to work constructively on how to provide continous support to affected businesses and industries."

"Thousands of businesses may go bankrupt if the government does not take urgent action"

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also warned on Twitter that thousands of businesses could go bankrupt, threatening the jobs of many Londoners if the government does not take urgent action to provide support to struggling business owners.