government — fight it, so i am optimistic. the government believes the new rules are proportionate and will protect christmas. it also hopes it will buy scientist valuable time to investigate whether the omicron variant is more severe, spreads more easily and how the vaccines will cope. there are warnings that the travel and hospitality sectors are already being affected by concerns over the new variant. our business correspondent caroline davies is here. already concerns about the crucial period running up to christmas. and period running up to christmas. and of course this _ period running up to christmas. fific of course this is vital for the hospitality industry. the trade body uk hospitality said the return of masks and a solution for travellers will have an immediate impact on already fragile consumer confidence and they said some people have seen bookings and plans changed and cancelled. given this is already a pretty fragile confidence to start with. there's also frustration in the travel industry, pcr testing for international arrivals will come in from next week but there is no definite date as yet. that was, the