Private sector activity slows sharply in the UK due to the impact of the Omicron variant

The private sector activity braked abruptly at the United Kingdom since the beginning of December due to the impact of Omicron variant of coronavirus in services related to consumption, according to the index SMEs, a barometer that anticipates growth.

The index, published on Thursday by the private cabinet IHS Markit, fell to 53.2 in December, its lowest level in 10 months, compared to 57.6 in November, although a figure above 50.0 shows that activity continues to progress.

Faced with the prospect that the new variant, much more contagious, will become dominant in the coming days in the country, which on Wednesday already registered a record of 78,610 new infections, the government of Boris Johnson It imposed measures such as teleworking, the mandatory wearing of masks indoors, and health passports to enter mass events such as soccer stadiums and nightclubs.

Although the executive did not decide on any closure or restriction on economic activity, his top scientific advisor, Chris Whitty, advised at a press conference on Wednesday to limit non-essential social interactions to British people.

These had already begun to cancel events such as the Christmas parties of the companies, one of the main income of pubs and restaurants in the normally lucrative season of the end of the year.