TMID Editorial: Christmas, Business and Covid
With Christmas fast approaching, shopkeepers are keeping their fingers crossed that it will be a different and better holiday for them than it was last year.
In 2020, with the Covid-19 pandemic at its peak and the vaccination program yet to begin, the restrictions in place have limited the number of social activities that could take place.
Many families preferred to gather indoors, in small groups, rather than risk going to restaurants for Christmas and New Year’s Eve meals. Many companies have not even maintained their normal Christmas-related activities. Most individuals, then, do not venture malls to buy gifts. Others bought their gifts online, which meant that local stores that did not provide such a service ended up losing their customers.
It was a weird and quiet Christmas.
This time, the situation is slightly better. We use the word “little” with caution, hoping that the situation will turn out to be “considerably” better than last year. But, with the world on alert due to the omicron variant, about which much remains to be known, things can change very quickly. In addition, new cases and active cases are on the rise in most of Europe, including Malta, leading to further arrests.
We have all heard how some countries are reintroducing restrictions to combat the new challenges they face. So far, in Malta, the government seems to intend to stick to the idea that, once the number of people in need of hospital care is manageable, there will be no need to increase restrictions. . Many are now receiving their booster dose, too, which will continue to help.
Social activities also seem to be on the rise, with many companies this year organizing their holidays for employees. The restaurants seem to be fuller even on normal days, and look forward to a better Yuletide. Shopping malls are also seeing noticeable improvements.
We had a minor test on Black Friday, which was described by traders as not reaching 2019 levels, which was before the pandemic, but was certainly better than the 2020 results. This is encouraging, even considering the bad weather Malta has experienced.
Still, as the Chamber of Commerce pointed out in a statement, retailers want good sales not only on special days, but throughout the year. The same can be said for restaurants.
We are still far from what we were in 2019. This pandemic is taking much longer than anticipated to overcome. Many thought it would end in two years, like what happened when the Great Influenza pandemic hit the world at the end of World War I. But the world as it is today is different from the world 100 years ago. On the one hand, the fact that travel today is much easier makes it easier for viruses to spread.
What is most reassuring is that the world has made great strides in medical care as well, and this is an encouraging factor as the fight against Covid-19 continues.
Then again, we all need to do our part to win this fight.