Retail staff in Leeds have expressed concern over the Omicron Coronavirus variant, as shops start to get busy with Christmas less than one month away.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced that those shopping in-store and those travelling by public transport will be required to wear a mask amidst growing concerns within the Government about the Omicron variant.
With Christmas less than a month away, high street stores are expecting an increase in footfall after a drop of 697,000 in the previous two years.
Many shoppers did their Christmas shopping online last Christmas during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic.
All essential and non-essential stores will remain open despite the threat of the new variant, with over 114 million vaccinations being given in the UK.
Oliver Garside, an employee of Tesco, has stated his concerns but remains comfortable with the measures in place when he said ”of course there’s concern because we aren’t being told how serious it actually is.”
Garside went on to say, ”We are prepared now unlike 18 months ago, I’m double jabbed and I never have to be in too close contact but it’s definitely something we will always be thinking about.”
Garside continued by saying ”it will be a lot stricter now the new restrictions have been put in place but that’s fine, we will just have to ensure that everyone who comes in sticks to the rules.”
There have been nine confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in the UK but Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that Christmas shouldn’t be affected, but the run-up to Christmas in shops shall be with a mask-mandate.
It is not yet known how long these restrictions will be in place, with the Government continuing to monitor the Omicron variant.
The latest changes shall come into effect on Tuesday.
