The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, should be drawing up contingency plans for a mini-furlough in the event that the Omicron variant forces the government into closing parts of the economy, the International Monetary Fund has said.
In its annual health check of the UK, the Washington-based IMF warned the fast-spreading new strain of the Covid-19 virus posed a fresh threat to the economy after what had been a “challenging year”.
The IMF said with strong policy support the economy had proved to be resilient, but it stressed a return of some of the measures that prevented mass unemployment and large-scale business failures might soon be needed.
“In the event of a virulent Covid-19 wave requiring widespread mandated closures, the authorities should be
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