Covid Christmas: Staffing crisis as major rail operators warn of ‘short-notice cancellations’

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Covid-related staff shortages are continuing to grind the UK to a halt, with rail operators today warning of delays and cancellations to services ahead of Christmas.

As millions of Britons prepare to travel home to their families for the winter holidays, rail firms have announced a raft of cancellations and delays between now and Christmas Day. 

Long distance rail services are among those most impacted, while Transport for London says around 500 of its frontline staff across buses and tubes are currently off work due to a Covid-related illness.

It comes as doctors have today warned of staffing issues in hospitals due to a huge uptick in Covid cases across the UK.

In a stark reality check about the impact of Covid is already having on the NHS, intensive care consultant Professor Rupert Pears, from the Intensive Care Society, warned hospitals faced a ‘very severe’ staff shortage over Christmas.

The warning will likely mount more pressure on the Government to change isolation rules to cut the amount of time those positive with Covid must remain at home for.

Ministers were yesterday considering slashing the period from 10 days to seven in a bid to keep Britain moving this Christmas.  

Today the Times reports that the period will be cut to seven days, providing they test negative on lateral flow tests on day six and seven of their isolation.

The paper reports that new advice from government scientists is expected to be issued ‘imminently’.

In other Covid developments:

The NHS gave a million Covid jabs in a single day for the first time, while a booster of the Moderna vaccine increases antibodies against Omicron by 37-fold, its makers said;Another 91,743 cases were confirmed although deaths fell to 44 and hospital admissions continued to drop;Ministers were said to be worried by a rise in Covid patients in London; while Nicola Sturgeon gave Scots the green light for their Christmas Day plans;London’s New Year’s Eve celebration event in Trafalgar Square was axed;The ‘lockdown by stealth’ forced major tourist attractions, pubs and restaurants to close down;Hospitality bosses called on Mr Sunak to ‘get his act together’ and provide support for the embattled sector;A top GP backed calls to slash the quarantine period for coronavirus cases from ten to seven days; Families who lost loved ones in the pandemic condemned the picture, taken during last year’s lockdown.

It comes as the rail firm LNER, which operates services between London and cities such as Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh, revealed it had taken out 16 trains a day until 24 Christmas due to ‘an increased level of absence in drivers and train managers due to coronavirus’.

The rail operator also said may have to make more cancellations at short notice for staffing reasons. 

Avanti West Coast, which runs trains between London and Scotland, said services were ‘subject to short-notice cancellations and alterations due to the impact of Covid-19 on train crew availability’.

Other services to warn of delays and cancellation include Northern, Southern and TransPennine Express.

Meanwhile, Professor Pears revealed the impact positive Covid cases and isolation is already having on hospitals in London. 

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: ‘We know when Covid cases rise, hospital admissions lag behind that rise by about seven to ten days, ICU admissions a couple of days after that and deaths beyond.

‘If you wait for hospital admissions to rise the opportunity to do anything about that is over, it’s gone and the harm to our healthcare system is done.

‘This is not just about Covid, I keep saying this over and over again. It’s not just about Covid. 

‘The more of our health system that is dedicated to Covid care the less of our health system that’s available for all the other healthcare we rely on to keep us safe.

‘Whether you are hit by a bus, whether you are having cancer surgery, it does not matter. That healthcare is not as good right now. 

‘We all know anybody testing positive for Covid if they don’t have symptoms it is still a major hassle to work out what you should do and what you can do.

‘There are different rules for healthcare workers that allow them to go back to work under very tightly controlled situations, that involve daily testing with lateral flow tests.

‘We do have rules that allow us to bring staff back but we are nevertheless going to have very severe staffing problems over Christmas.’ 

It comes as Covid-related staff shortages yesterday sparked huge disruption for airline passengers, shut attractions, resulted in one of the nation’s best-known TV shows being taken off air and sparked fears of missed bin collections.

Staffing shortages at BA – blamed on Covid and self-isolation rules – caused pre-Christmas travel ‘chaos’ at Heathrow Airport.

The shortages, combined with weather-enforced delays, resulted in cancelled flights, queues at the border and a sea of stranded luggage strewn across baggage reclaim.

Boris Johnson meanwhile delayed making a decision on imposing new coronavirus curbs as furious Tory MPs demanded the Prime Minister tell the nation if people can go ahead with their Christmas plans.

The PM hosted an emergency meeting of his Cabinet yesterday afternoon to discuss if extra measures were needed to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.

But a final decision was reportedly not made at the meeting which means it now seems unlikely that further restrictions will be rolled out before Christmas.

Earlier, London’s Natural History Museum and Edinburgh Castle announced they would both shut over Christmas due to Covid cases among staff.

Then, in an unprecedented move, ITV revealed its flagship show Good Morning Britain had been cancelled between Christmas and New Year. 

Bosses of the channel said there will be no episodes aired of the breakfast show between Wednesday, December 29 and Friday, December 31 ‘due to the pandemic’.

A string of West End shows, including the Lion King, Wicked and Moulin Rouge! also cancelled pre-Christmas performances due to Covid, with cast and crew members testing positive in recent days. 

Royal Mail chiefs, meanwhile, are warning of potential delays to postal services this Christmas.

Councils also fear disruption to bin services over the holiday period due to Covid-related staffing issues. 

One authority, Brighton and Hove City Council, warn the sheer volume of waste and recycling over Christmas and New Year could see bin collections being late or falling behind.

The council says managers are working hard to recruit agency staff as back up, and are offering unaffected staff overtime in a bid to keep the service running to full capacity. 

In Hampshire, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council said there will be no changes to bin collections this year. 

However the authority warned staffing issues could still affect bin rounds. In a post on Twitter, the council said: ‘Unless adverse weather or staffing issues affect bin rounds there will be no changes to bin collection days this year so put your bin and any extra rubbish or recycling sacks out on your usual day.’

Meanwhile, hospitality bosses have today warned a third of bars, pubs and clubs could close by New Years Eve.

Industry chiefs say hospitality is facing a ‘cataclysmic Christmas‘ and bosses have called for financial support amid a rise of the Omicron variant. 

Peter Marks, chief executive at REKOM, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme running a nightclub has been ‘really tough’ and called for ministers to cut VAT for venue entry. ‘If we have restrictions we need money to survive,’ he added.

A survey by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) of more than five hundred nightclubs, bars, pubs and hospitality venues has today revealed that the sector faces a ‘cataclysmic Christmas’. 

One fifth of nightlife businesses could lose their entire workforce, and one third fear closure within a month without urgent Government support following new Covid restrictions and omicron uncertainty. 

On average, night time economy venues have lost £46,000 per unit in lost sales and cancellations during the festive period.

Jonathan Neame, the chief executive of Shepherd Neame, told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme his chain saw a ‘significant drop’ in footfall in London. 

Over half of businesses required to introduce Covid Certification for entry to their premises report witnessing over a 40 per cent drop in footfall.

And half of all businesses in the night time economy will have to cut over half of jobs in their workforce if the Government does not provide commensurate financial support.

Mr Marks added: ‘We can’t say how much the problem of shrinkage we’ve had in the last few days has been down to vaccine passports and whether it’s been down to the fear of going out. What I can tell you is we’re running at 40 per cent down at a period of time which is absolutely critical for us as a business, starting at next weekend thinking well we’re probably okay until Christmas now albeit limping along but may not even be opening New Years Eve which is worth about 8-10 per cent of our annual profit.’

He said REKOM’s staff are on standby without clarity on whether nightclubs will be open following Christmas.

‘Stock is another thing,’ he added. ‘Do you order stock ready for new years eve and suddenly find it’s going to sit in the cellar because you’ve closed. It’s impossible to plan for.’

‘We need help and the best thing you could do for nightclubs is include door admission in the reduced VAT position that you’ve given to pubs and restaurants that sell food and that’s encouraged survival there. That’s a very easy way you can target nightclubs and live music venues and help them. It needs backdating.’ 

Mr Neame, of Shepherd Neame, said outlets have seen profits fall 60-70 per cent.

He said: ‘There were a lot of cancellations from the point the suggestion was made that people should restrict their socialising. 

‘At the moment we’re still hanging on if you like by a knifeedge to the hope that community pubs can keep their Christmas. Christmas for them tends to start at the end of this week and go between Christmas and New Year. It’s a very precarious situation.’

He said the company was still taking deliveries but was operating ‘hour by hour’ as he called for more Government support. 

‘I’d prefer to stay open under any costs but there is a case for compensations now. Closure has terrific waste associated with it,’ he added.

‘When you close there’s no certainty when you might reopen again. The comments from Professor Whitty are already the circumstances where the trade needs further support because they’ve changed consumer behaviour, they’ve changed consumer confidence. 

‘What we’re asking for is an extension to the VAT relief that exists at the moment to the end of 2022 and cancellation of rates. There’s also £2bn in grants that were issues to local authorities that have not yet been distributed for the previous lockdowns and they should be released immediately.’

He said the situation was ‘extremely demoralising’ and praised business for staying afloat.

‘Businesses have done remarkable well to keep going. We still do not think the evidence is there for hospitality to be treated with restrictions.’ 

Phil Urban, Chief Executive of Mitchells and Butlers, told the BBC ‘many in our industry are really going to be up against it’.

He added: ‘From the moment Chris Whitty said what he said it’s the city centres that are particularly impacted. 

‘We are in broad stakes and it’s city centres we’ve seen a drop off in trade. Loss of corporate parties you would expect at this time of year. It is a critical trading time for the sector. Many in our industry are really going to be up against it.

‘Typically the industry would be staffing up for Christmas. There have been issues with that. The sector lost a lot of people during the lockdowns. We’re fortunate we’ve been able to get to the numbers of teams we want, but at local level it can be very problematic.’ 

Michael Kill, Chief Executive of the NTIA, said: ‘It really is a chilling prospect to see so many venues in our sector left to bleed, with a lockdown in everything but name and absolutely no recognition of this from the Government. 

‘These venues have faced over twenty months of financial hardship and the Christmas trade period was integral to keeping those surviving businesses afloat in the upcoming year.

‘If further restrictions are to be implemented, the Chancellor must step in and recognise the huge damage that waves of cancellations, driven by mixed Government messaging, resource intensive Covid protocols and costly restrictions actually have. 

‘The Government have had twenty months to learn how our sector operates; it is beggars belief we stand here again, as if back in March 2020, imploring the Government to listen to us, to understand how businesses work and to realise that inaction is a death sentence for our industry. It really is a Cataclysmic Christmas.’

Sacha Lord, Night Time Economy Advisor for Greater Manchester, said: ‘Whilst shocking and upsetting, these latest stats don’t come as much surprise. The industry have been unanimously calling on the Chancellor for both support and leadership. To date, our calls have fallen on deaf ears and for some, it is already too late. If the UK’s fifth biggest industry has any hope of survival, he must come forward, urgently.’ 

Pubs, restaurants and bars recorded a 40 per cent slump in sales at the weekend while the owner of the Greene King chain said some sites were down 80 per cent on pre-pandemic levels.

Emma McClarkin, of the British Beer and Pub Association, said Government caution over the Omicron variant – with the introduction of Plan B measures such as working from home – had caused public confidence to ‘nosedive’.

‘Our recovery has been set back by at least six months,’ she added. ‘We are right back to square one – it is like snakes and ladders.’

Simon Emeny, of pub chain Fuller, Smith and Turner, announced at the weekend he had decided to close 20 of its busiest London venues because of a lack of footfall.

He said yesterday: ‘The Plan B advice is damaging city centres. The Christmas party season has been severely curtailed.

‘Once people have had a booster there is no reason they shouldn’t get on with their lives. If Plan B is kept any longer than necessary it will halt our recovery.’ 

It is feared one in ten pubs – around 5,000 – have had to close permanently since the start of the pandemic, with a slump in Christmas takings potentially signalling a death knell for many more.

Yesterday Michelin-starred restaurant Portland was among dozens in the capital to announce it was closing until January with customer numbers slumping.

Industry body UK Hospitality said up to 10,000 sites could close permanently without urgent Government support. Chief executive Kate Nicholls called for an extension to business rates relief.

Andrew Taylor, who owns gastropub Mr Fox in Croydon, south London, which has faced an 80 per cent drop in bookings, said: ‘Hospitality is locked down in all but name. It is going to cause thousands of businesses to close and tens of thousands of job losses.’

THIRD of bars, pubs and clubs could close by NYE: Hospitality bosses plead for clarity from ministers on Covid restrictions – as industry facing ‘cataclysmic Christmas’ pleads for financial support

By Emer Scully for MailOnline

A third of bars, pubs and clubs could close by New Years Eve as hospitality bosses plead for clarity from ministers on Covid-19 restrictions.

The industry is facing a ‘cataclysmic Christmas‘ and bosses have called for financial support amid a rise of the Omicron variant. 

Peter Marks, chief executive at REKOM, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme running a nightclub has been ‘really tough’ and called for ministers to cut VAT for venue entry. ‘If we have restrictions we need money to survive,’ he added.

A survey by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) of more than five hundred nightclubs, bars, pubs and hospitality venues has today revealed that the sector faces a ‘cataclysmic Christmas’. 

One fifth of nightlife businesses could lose their entire workforce, and one third fear closure within a month without urgent Government support following new Covid restrictions and omicron uncertainty. 

On average, night time economy venues have lost £46,000 per unit in lost sales and cancellations during the festive period.

Jonathan Neame, Shepherd Neame chief executive told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme his chain saw a ‘significant drop’ in footfall in London. 

In other coronavirus news today:

All sporting events in Wales will be held behind closed doors from Boxing Day due to the surge in coronavirus cases, the Welsh government has announced;London’s New Year’s Eve celebration event in Trafalgar Square will not take place because of the surge in cases of the Omicron Covid variant in the capital;Boris Johnson last night stepped back from imposing punitive lockdown curbs that would have ruined Christmas after a lengthy Cabinet meeting called for ‘incontrovertible evidence’ on the Omicron variant;Cambridge professor Sir David Spiegelhalter said the fact half patients in London’s hospitals were only diagnosed with Covid after admission with another condition showed Covid was rife in London;Boris Johnson’s former chief aide Dominic Cummings and ex-Health Secretary Matt Hancock have been revealed to be among government staff pictured ‘working’ in the Downing Street garden during lockdown. 

Over half of businesses required to introduce Covid Certification for entry to their premises report witnessing over a 40 per cent drop in footfall.

And half of all businesses in the night time economy will have to cut over half of jobs in their workforce if the Government does not provide commensurate financial support.

Mr Marks added: ‘We can’t say how much the problem of shrinkage we’ve had in the last few days has been down to vaccine passports and whether it’s been down to the fear of going out. 

‘What I can tell you is we’re running at 40 per cent down at a period of time which is absolutely critical for us as a business, starting at next weekend thinking well we’re probably okay until Christmas now albeit limping along but may not even be opening New Years Eve which is worth about 8-10 per cent of our annual profit.’

He said REKOM’s staff are on standby without clarity on whether nightclubs will be open following Christmas.

‘Stock is another thing,’ he added. ‘Do you order stock ready for new years eve and suddenly find it’s going to sit in the cellar because you’ve closed. It’s impossible to plan for.’

‘We need help and the best thing you could do for nightclubs is include door admission in the reduced VAT position that you’ve given to pubs and restaurants that sell food and that’s encouraged survival there. That’s a very easy way you can target nightclubs and live music venues and help them. It needs backdating.’ 

Mr Neame, of Shepherd Neame, said outlets have seen profits fall 60-70 per cent.

He said: ‘There were a lot of cancellations from the point the suggestion was made that people should restrict their socialising. 

‘At the moment we’re still hanging on if you like by a knifeedge to the hope that community pubs can keep their Christmas. Christmas for them tends to start at the end of this week and go between Christmas and New Year. It’s a very precarious situation.’

He said the company was still taking deliveries but was operating ‘hour by hour’ as he called for more Government support. 

‘I’d prefer to stay open under any costs but there is a case for compensations now. Closure has terrific waste associated with it,’ he added.

‘When you close there’s no certainty when you might reopen again. The comments from Professor Whitty are already the circumstances where the trade needs further support because they’ve changed consumer behaviour, they’ve changed consumer confidence. 

‘What we’re asking for is an extension to the VAT relief that exists at the moment to the end of 2022 and cancellation of rates. There’s also £2bn in grants that were issues to local authorities that have not yet been distributed for the previous lockdowns and they should be released immediately.’

He said the situation was ‘extremely demoralising’ and praised business for staying afloat.

‘Businesses have done remarkable well to keep going. We still do not think the evidence is there for hospitality to be treated with restrictions.’ 

Phil Urban, Chief Executive of Mitchells and Butlers, told the BBC ‘many in our industry are really going to be up against it’.

He added: ‘From the moment Chris Whitty said what he said it’s the city centres that are particularly impacted. 

‘We are in broad stakes and it’s city centres we’ve seen a drop off in trade. Loss of corporate parties you would expect at this time of year. It is a critical trading time for the sector. Many in our industry are really going to be up against it.

‘Typically the industry would be staffing up for Christmas. There have been issues with that. The sector lost a lot of people during the lockdowns. We’re fortunate we’ve been able to get to the numbers of teams we want, but at local level it can be very problematic.’ 

Michael Kill, Chief Executive of the NTIA, said: ‘It really is a chilling prospect to see so many venues in our sector left to bleed, with a lockdown in everything but name and absolutely no recognition of this from the Government. 

‘These venues have faced over twenty months of financial hardship and the Christmas trade period was integral to keeping those surviving businesses afloat in the upcoming year.

‘If further restrictions are to be implemented, the Chancellor must step in and recognise the huge damage that waves of cancellations, driven by mixed Government messaging, resource intensive Covid protocols and costly restrictions actually have. 

‘The Government have had twenty months to learn how our sector operates; it is beggars belief we stand here again, as if back in March 2020, imploring the Government to listen to us, to understand how businesses work and to realise that inaction is a death sentence for our industry. It really is a Cataclysmic Christmas.’

Sacha Lord, Night Time Economy Advisor for Greater Manchester, said: ‘Whilst shocking and upsetting, these latest stats don’t come as much surprise. The industry have been unanimously calling on the Chancellor for both support and leadership. To date, our calls have fallen on deaf ears and for some, it is already too late. If the UK’s fifth biggest industry has any hope of survival, he must come forward, urgently.’    

The Christmas plans of thousands were also thrown into potential chaos after one in four rail operators cancelled services yesterday because of staff illness.

On what would typically have been one of the busiest tourism weeks of the year, the Natural History Museum closed yesterday owing to staff absences because of the ten-day isolation requirement.

It was joined by a string of other London museums and art galleries as well as Edinburgh Castle.

Meanwhile, West End shows including The Lion King and The Book of Mormon were also cancelled for a week because of Covid outbreaks among cast and crew, and performances of The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House have been called off until January.

Theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh told the BBC: ‘Whether we’re shut by the Government or shut by stealth because of all the mixed messages… the Government does need to step in and help.’ 

His call came as the capital’s New Year’s Eve celebration planned for Trafalgar Square was cancelled ‘in the interests of public safety’.

Pubs, restaurants and bars recorded a 40 per cent slump in sales at the weekend while the owner of the Greene King chain said some sites were down 80 per cent on pre-pandemic levels.

Emma McClarkin, of the British Beer and Pub Association, said Government caution over the Omicron variant – with the introduction of Plan B measures such as working from home – had caused public confidence to ‘nosedive’.

‘Our recovery has been set back by at least six months,’ she added. ‘We are right back to square one – it is like snakes and ladders.’

Simon Emeny, of pub chain Fuller, Smith and Turner, announced at the weekend he had decided to close 20 of its busiest London venues because of a lack of footfall.

He said yesterday: ‘The Plan B advice is damaging city centres. The Christmas party season has been severely curtailed.

‘Once people have had a booster there is no reason they shouldn’t get on with their lives. If Plan B is kept any longer than necessary it will halt our recovery.’ 

It is feared one in ten pubs – around 5,000 – have had to close permanently since the start of the pandemic, with a slump in Christmas takings potentially signalling a death knell for many more.

Yesterday Michelin-starred restaurant Portland was among dozens in the capital to announce it was closing until January with customer numbers slumping.

Industry body UK Hospitality said up to 10,000 sites could close permanently without urgent Government support. Chief executive Kate Nicholls called for an extension to business rates relief.

Andrew Taylor, who owns gastropub Mr Fox in Croydon, south London, which has faced an 80 per cent drop in bookings, said: ‘Hospitality is locked down in all but name. It is going to cause thousands of businesses to close and tens of thousands of job losses.’

Meanwhile, rail operators warned passengers to prepare for further delays and cancellations caused by staffing shortages.

Yesterday around 13 per cent of trains were cancelled or behind schedule, with eight of the 28 major rail operators experiencing coronavirus-related staff problems. 

It came as next week’s episodes of ITV’s breakfast show Good Morning Britain were axed to ‘protect’ staff amid fears over Omicron. It will return on January 4. 

London’s New Year’s Eve celebration event in Trafalgar Square will not take place because of the surge in cases of the Omicron Covid variant in the capital.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has said the event, which was set to be open to around 6,500 key workers and members of the public, had to be cancelled because ‘we must take the right steps to reduce the spread of the virus’.

He declared a major incident in London on Saturday amid 65,525 new confirmed cases in the past seven days and the impact of the surge on frontline services.

A 29 per cent increase in London hospital admissions had also been recorded in the last week.

Revellers, who may have attended the central London send-off to 2021, are now being asked to watch a live TV broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer which organisers say will celebrate the city and highlight the most defining moments of the past year. 

Mr Khan said: ‘With infections of Covid-19 at record levels across our city and the UK, I’m determined to work closely with partners in our city to do everything we possibly can to slow the spread of the new variant and ensure our NHS services are not overwhelmed this winter.

‘This means that we will no longer be hosting a celebration event for 6,500 people on Trafalgar Square this New Year’s Eve. 

This will be very disappointing for many Londoners, but we must take the right steps to reduce the spread of the virus. 

I’m proud that we will still have an incredible broadcast spectacular to watch on our screens, which will showcase our great city to the rest of the world.

‘Our world-renowned retail, hospitality, tourism, nightlife and cultural businesses are already suffering from the impact of the latest wave of Covid cases during what is usually their busiest time of the year.’

He called on the Government to step forward with a package of support for London’s retail, hospitality, tourism, night-time and cultural businesses that are being badly hit by the impact of the variant.