As of Sunday 12 December, the UK has again moved into threat Level 4 (out of 5), as the Omicron variant rapidly replaces Delta as the dominant strain of the pandemic here; a million cases a day are predicted in the UK by Christmas.
Meanwhile, The Bookseller - the UK industry publishing 'bible' - has recently reported that Publishers are delaying book release dates due to incredible pressures on deliveries, supplies, and logistics, caused by Brexit, driver shortages, and the rising wave of sickness.
As a small business based in London - currently the core of the tsunami of new virus cases - we are seeing some impact on retail, and general pre-Christmas morale - as these severe challenges arise and expand.
As usual, our main focus must be on protecting the health of our team, authors, and also, customers. As advised by the government, we are to work from home, and will avoid any 'non-essential meetings'.
We intend to try and keep delivering any Christmas orders promptly, but we are already seeing major delays at printers, and expect distribution, and shipping, could be effected; some minor deadlines may slip; and of course, if we move into another lockdown in January, we may have to revise some of our 2022 plans to take into account the new realities.
For now, we are doing our best, hoping for the best, being cautious, and wishing you and your loved ones a safe and hopeful holiday season.