Chamber Network: Government needs to produce an Autumn/Winter Covid strategy

Speaking to BBC Breakfast this morning (16th August 2021), Director General at British Chambers of Commerce Shevaun Haviland called on government to bring forward a Covid strategy for the coming months, as well as contingency planning for the possibility of a variant evading the vaccine.  

She said: “What we’d really like to see is a contingency plan in place that looks to the next 3 to 6 months. Thinking about things like booster jabs or, if we have a variant that causes cases to rise again, what kind of business support could be put in place. 

“This is really important because it gives businesses clarity and certainty which allows them to concentrate on doing what they do best – powering the economic recovery and investing in jobs. 

“We really want to see business and government looking at the longer term and thinking about things like investment in skills, in global trade and the levelling up agenda. These are the things that will help our businesses move on from just surviving and get back to growing and thriving.”