Here we are between Christmas and New Year and we are now into the 6 week lockdown period that has been introduced in Northern Ireland. For many businesses the days just after Christmas are one of their most profitable times of the year as they launch sales and people go out to the high street in their droves to spend any money they have been given as a gift.
Non Essential Shops Closed
Unfortunately those shops classed as non essential will be closed over these 6 weeks, so they are going to find these weeks extremely challenging indeed.
This first week of lockdown is particularly stringent. A form of curfew is in operation after 8pm, all shops will be closed from that time each evening along with any close contact services and all gatherings, whether they be indoor or outdoor, will be prohibited until 6am on the next day.
During the whole 6 week lockdown the whole hospitality industry will be shut down apart from takeaways and deliveries. All retail deemed non-essential will be closed, even for click-and-collect services. Close contact services, which include such as hair salons and beauty parlours, will not be able to operate during this 6 week period.
More Virulent Strain Of Coronavirus
The latest strain of the coronavirus seems to be far more virulent than previous strains, which seems to be behind the increasing infection rate across Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Thankfully it does seem that the vaccines produced to counter the virus will be just as effective on this new strain and also it does not appear any more dangerous than previous strains to the human body, however because it is so infectious it is going to put even more pressure on the health services. Because of all this a lockdown seemed pretty inevitable and indeed this has what has come to pass.
A Difficult Start To 2021
So the start of 2021 looks like it will be just as difficult for the business community as the vast majority of 2020 has been. There is no doubt that we are laying all our future hopes on the vaccines being produced, which we all hope and pray will be effective in protecting the community from the virus so that once rolled out to the majority of the population we can get back to our normal daily lives.
This is our last blog until next year so we would like to wish all our customers and readers a happy, safe and prosperous New Year!
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