Chamber welcomes new business support measures as customers choose to stay away

THE Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the new business support measures introduced by the Government to help businesses hit by the surge of Omicron, and the reduction in the self-isolation guidance from 10 to seven days.

Externall Affairs Director, David Hooper, said: "It's the busiest time of the year for the hospitality and leisure industry and the mass cancellation of bookings has been well documented, so these new measures will help the industry survive until the Omicron surge subsides, but if it persists, then more support will be needed.

"However the equally hard hit travel industry has once again been overlooked - with France and Germany banning British visitors and with the Netherlands in a full lockdown, many travellers have been forced to cancel their trips leaving travel agents and tour operators without customers and struggling to survive, so we would like to see some Government support for this sector too.

"The reduction in the guidance for self-isolation from 10 to seven days with negative test results will also help keep people in work and the economy moving."

Nationally, the Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, Shevaun Haviland, said: “These measures will provide some welcome respite to many of those businesses who have been hit hardest by the latest Covid measures.  

 “The Chancellor and his team have engaged with us in talks over the past week, considered the experiences of Chamber business communities and the proposals we put to them.  

 “We are pleased that the Chancellor heard our call for additional grant funding for hospitality and leisure businesses, which will provide some much-needed support in the face of this increasingly difficult trading period. Clarity and speed will be needed to ensure that these grants are paid out swiftly to help these hard-pressed firms weather the next few weeks.  

 “Whilst these measures are a positive starting point, if restrictions persist or are tightened further, then we would need to see a wider support package, equal to the scale of any new measures, put in place".