A further £100m of discretionary funding will be given to local authorities for firms outside the sector but still affected by Omicron. The statutory sick pay rebate scheme will be reopened for all types of business. Deposits for all hospitality firms have risen by £7bn and company insolvencies in the sector are 25% below pre-Covid levels. The relaunch of the sick pay rebate will help firms, but does little to help their staff. Employers and unions are also concerned that statutory sick pay is too low, which hits workers financially and discourages self-isolation.

Source: The Guardian December 21, 2021 23:34 UTC