The trade managed to get through the Christmas sales season without major damage due to the arrival of omicron and flu in recent weeks.
Nabil Sahyoun, president of Alshop (sellers association), calculates a growth of around 10% compared to last year. The performance is not extraordinary considering the low base of 2020, but it can be celebrated in the face of crisis and inflation.
The layoffs of employees due to contamination by diseases did not compromise customer service the day before, according to him. “We had no record of Covid in stores, nor a more overt flu situation that deserved to create a statistic,” says Sahyoun.
In bars and restaurants, another sector heavily impacted by the worst periods of the pandemic, the situation remains calm for now, according to Paulo Solmucci, president of Abrasel (association of establishments).
Cases of flu were registered among employees of establishments in Alagoas, Goiás and Rio Grande do Norte, but businessmen say that the occurrences are within normal limits. In the Northeast, the problem is dengue.
According to Solmucci, the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Niterói registered many cases of flu among employees, but the picture is already at a decreasing pace. Meanwhile, Pará sees the number increase.
The industry already raises concerns about the contamination of employees. In the textile sector, before the collective vacation started at Christmas, some factories in Rio de Janeiro reported a rise in workers absenteeism because of the flu, according to Fernando Pimentel, president of Abit (industry association).
with Andressa Motter e Ana Luiza Tieghi
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