UK diners slump after Omicron hit, staff absences hit record

British restaurant reservations slumped last week when a wave of COVID-19 cases was near its peak, while COVID-related staff absences hit a record high, data published by the Office for National Statistics showed on Thursday.

The figures underscored the impact of a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant and which hit a peak on Jan. 4. Cases have dropped 19% over the past week, giving some economists confidence that the economic damage caused by Omicron will be contained.

Restaurant reservations in the week to Jan. 10 sank to 88% of their level for the equivalent week in 2020, before the start of the pandemic, from 134% the week before, according to figures from bookings company OpenTable published weekly by the ONS.

Pubs and restaurants have not faced new COVID-19 restrictions in England – unlike in the rest of the United Kingdom – but many patrons have chosen to stay away.

Some 44% of businesses in the food and hotel sector reported an increase in cancellations in December, rising to 64% for businesses in the ‘other services’ category which includes firms such as beauty parlours.

Separate Bank of England data on credit and debit card spending in the week to Jan. 6 – which are not seasonally adjusted – showed a fall to 82% of its February 2020 average from 86% the week before.

Meanwhile, an ONS survey for late December, also published on Thursday, showed that private-sector businesses reported that 2.7% of their staff were absent because they had COVID symptoms or were isolating, the highest since comparable figures began to be collected in June 2020.

UK diners slump after Omicron hit, staff absences hit record