Omicron wave is turning this city into a ghost town

New Delhi : There were hopes that the coming Christmas will light-up markets with crowds enabling local sellers to earn some handsome money but the Omicron variant scare in South London has led to empty streets and markets.

The United Kingdom is currently facing a record-breaking wave of infections, with Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, warning on Wednesday that "phenomenal" case numbers mean doctors and nurses will inevitably get sick.

With restrictions already in place, people have been cancelling their plans for outings, avoiding group functions and preferring work from home to stay safe from the new variant of coronavirus.

Britain's hospitality industry, already trying to recover from months of lockdown earlier in the year, is once again taking an economic hit as the pandemic once again steps up a gear. This time there is -- as yet -- no government safety net even as almost 79,000 cases were reported on Wednesday.

In the City of London financial district, fewer than 30 people could be seen drinking outside pubs on Watling Street on Wednesday. Business was also slow at Leadenhall Market, where pubs are usually packed in December with hundreds of insurance brokers.