The Centre for Cities said the data, based on mobile phone signals, showed no increase in the footfall of workers going to city centres between late June and the week starting Aug 3. "Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade. This comes at a high price for local businesses, jobs and communities," she wrote in an article for the Daily Mail newspaper. Separate figures published by Britain's statistics office showed almost one in four businesses in accommodation and food services and arts, and the entertainment and recreation industries rated their risk of insolvency as moderate or severe. Vehicle traffic levels on Aug. 24 were just six percentage points lower than in early February, before the pandemic struck.

Source: bd News24 August 27, 2020 09:56 UTC