The world as we know it is slowly trying to create some sort of sustainable economy for itself but the news every single day brings more uncertainty than good.
Nothing is straightforward anymore- it just is not as easy for consumers to do things. I like to do things on a whim. If we think a restaurant needs to be booked, it is normally a call ahead on route rather than two weeks in advance. We like to run into shops to get bits and pieces rather than pre-planned shopping trips. Gym, pool, training is when we have time rather than to a schedule.
Regular families like mine all over the world are having to change their lifestyle. Regardless of your views on the Covid-19 risks you have no choice now but to think and plan ahead for your spending. Even things like carparking times and charges can impact your dwell time when you must take into account standing in queues and ‘one in one out’ policies.
Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on in relation to masks, they can compound these issues. I think us wearing masks for short periods of times to enter shops is a very minor inconvenience compared to the healthcare and frontline workers who have to wear them all day every day in often intense conditions.
What it does however, is take away an element of communication for a businesses. Walking into a premises and getting a smile sets a certain tone compared to not being able to see half a persons face.
All of these factors combine to take away the pleasure in many of these simple activities. Shopping, eating out etc. now in most instances seems functional rather than sociable. This is something that already under pressure retail, leisure and hospitality outlets are going to have to contend with and try to find innovative solutions to, for quite some time to come.
Things are happening very slowly in the business world but news is coming thick and fast. We had the devastating news this week the local business Collins Aerospace is in consultation to potential let up to 235 people go. This will not unfortunately be the last news we hear like this locally and not just in the aerospace industry.
Just this week we have the quarantine news for people returning for Spain, something which even appears to have caught out the UK Transport Secretary currently on holidays in Spain. The guidance in the area of travel needs to be much clearer and much more robust. There needs to be joined up all Island thinking. (I will save my mention of ‘green cards to go to Omeath or Carlingford for a spin for another day.) It cannot however, be the case that there are different rules whether you arrive to an airport one hour south or one hour north of Newry. This just does not make sense. The travel industry is on its knees, flights will try to take off in whatever way they can. If they can technically fly but in reality it is not practical or safe for you to travel the likelihood is consumers will lose their money if they don’t go. This is causing people to take risks which could have long term implications on not only health but on their livelihoods if they are quarantining for 14 days on return.
I have mentioned before about the £53 million underspend in the Northern Ireland Covid Recovery budget We urgently need to see plans on how this intends to be spent. I am hearing almost daily about businesses and individuals who have not been paid throughout this pandemic and this is not sustainable. This includes more than 1100 businesses in the manufacturing sector along who according to a Survey by Manufacturing NI and Tughans have received no financial support at all. We need strong, sensible leadership to help businesses large and small to navigate through the difficult period ahead.
To finish on a positive note we are now coming into August and the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ Scheme is coming into effect. I urge all of you that can, to please avail of it locally. Lots of cafes and restaurants have already signed up. Your choice to have dinner out on a whim on a Tuesday in August could help a local business seeing a way towards getting through this side of Christmas.
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