At the outset, I would take this opportunity to wish everyone a Very Happy New Year.
With a successful vaccine rollout program and a successful vaccination drive, there has been improved consumer confidence that has resulted in increased mobility across the country. Due to major fiscal support, accumulated savings, and global financial support, markets got off to a strong start in the last quarter of 2021.
The highly infectious Omicron variant has started to spread, and we all need to be careful and vigilant that it does not develop into the third wave. The expected impact of this variant may be lower, than on earlier occasions, as it is being found that this variant is milder and may pass through quickly without large-scale hospitalizations. Our government has assessed various steps taken in implementing pandemic-related measures to tackle possible future disruptions that may occur due to the ongoing variant of the COVID-19 pandemic.
