With the whole nation now under the red traffic light setting there are limits within the hospitality sector and many events have been cancelled.
Supplies, already strained in some sectors due to the global pandemic, could soon be under more pressure as workforces are impacted by Omicron.
Gareth Kiernan, the chief forecaster at Infometrics says in the past there has been "altruistic" spending to support local businesses doing it hard under Covid-19 restrictions, but there's no guarantee this will be the case in the coming months.
He spoke to Corin Dann.
