Facing omicron, businesses stick to COVID-19 protocols and hope for the best

Dec 17, 2021
Nearly two years into the pandemic, with vaccination mandates and other precautions in place, businesses are operating without new ways to mitigate risk.
With fewer safety nets and little new guidance, businesses are sticking with existing protocols and grappling with how to address the new, highly transmissible omicron variant.
Cindy Ord via Getty Images
Omicron has halted many employers' plans to bring people back to the office.
Getty Images

The restaurant industry preps for a winter with omicron

Dec 6, 2021
Spending is still down, prices are up and owners are worried about how the variant will affect business.
Amid the continued spread of the coronavirus, spending at restaurants is still below pre-pandemic levels.
Scott Olson via Getty Images

The vaccine mandate is on hold, but some employers are encouraging booster shots

Dec 6, 2021
A majority of small business owners in one survey said vaccination is essential to economic recovery.
A woman receives a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine in Michigan. Some businesses are requiring vaccination despite the halted federal mandate.
Emily Elconin via Getty Images

Report to the office. No, don't. OK, come now. Actually, wait.

Dec 3, 2021
Delta, omicron — they are messing with return-to-office plans.
Google is among the companies to announce return-to-office plans, then delay them because of the spread of coronavirus variants.
Spencer Platt via Getty Images

Success of the ski season may turn on the omicron variant

Dec 3, 2021
The ski industry is facing a labor shortage as it starts to navigate its third pandemic season.
Signage requiring face coverings is displayed at a ski resort in Alberta, Canada on Nov. 28.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Omicron worries could keep some workers out of labor force

Dec 2, 2021
There are signs that health concerns, particularly for older Americans, are decreasing interest in being employed or “unretiring.”
Workers over 65 were the fastest-growing segment of the labor force pre-COVID but have retired at an accelerated pace over the last two years.
alvarez via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

How omicron may affect China's ports, a key to the global supply chain

Dec 2, 2021
China's no-tolerance COVID-19 protocols may keep the variant at bay but may slow down shipping again.
If the omicron variant were to cause port shutdowns, they would likely coincide with Lunar New Year closures. Above, workers at a container port in Wuhan, China.
Getty Images

Omicron's impact on inflation and supply chains is uncertain

Dec 1, 2021
Fed Chair Jerome Powell says policymakers are monitoring the impact of the variant and are ready to act to address high inflation.
It might be too early to tell how exactly the new variant will impact global supply chains. Above, a trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Nov. 29.
Spencer Platt via Getty Images

Dented by the delta variant, consumer confidence now confronts omicron

Nov 30, 2021
Confidence ticked down in November, but so far, each wave of COVID seems to have less of an impact on how consumers feel.
Shoppers stroll in a Houston mall on Black Friday. Though consumer confidence may dip if the omicron variant spreads, higher vaccination rates and a strong job market may help.
Brandon Bell via Getty Images