The boss of supermarket chain Iceland has urged Brits to get vaccinated amid rising cases of staff off work sick at the grocer.
Managing director Richard Walker said the absence rate at Iceland has surged in line with the spread of the Omicron variant.
Mr Waker tweeted: “Interesting to note that previous lockdowns all coincided with our Covid absence rate breaching 600-650 colleagues. Today’s is 700.
“Please let’s all get jabbed folks! Last thing we want or business needs is another lockdown.”
Mr Walker has been vocal about the impact of coronavirus on businesses and earlier this month said Iceland cannot afford to police mask wearing in shops.
Richard Walker said it would cost millions to ensure customers visiting his stores were covering their faces.
Iceland MD Walker told the BBC's Today Programme: "We spend millions on security each year but the scale of this is such that we simply cannot police every store, every hour of every day.
"It would cost millions and put us out of business."
Face masks are once again compulsory in shops and on public transport in England unless you are exempt.
The latest tweets from Mr Walker come after the UK reported more than 100,000 new daily infections for the first time.
Do you think supermarket staff should be vaccinated? Let us know in the comments below.
However, a major report from Imperial College in London yesterday found Omicron is milder compared to the Delta variant - but warned its rapid spread could still overwhelm the NHS.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has just announced a £1billion bailout package for Covid-hit businesses, which includes one-off £6,000 grants for pubs and restaurants.
Hospitality firms had been begging the Government for more support as dire warnings over the spread of Omicron had seen pubs, restaurants and music venues hit with "lockdown by stealth".
Businesses in the hospitality and leisure sector hit by Covid will be eligible for a grant of £6,000 per premises.
The Treasury has said an extra £100million will be handed to town halls to help other businesses and the Culture Recovery Fund will be boosted by £30million to help the arts sector.
Mr Sunak said: “We recognise that the spread of the Omicron variant means businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors are facing huge uncertainty, at a crucial time.
“So we’re stepping in with £1billion of support, including a new grant scheme, the reintroduction of the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme and further funding released through the Culture Recovery Fund.
“Ultimately the best thing we can do to support businesses is to get the virus under control, so I urge everyone to get boosted now.”
We've got a guide on all the businesses that qualify for the grant here.
