Dorset Chamber has reacted to the wave of cancellations hitting the hospitality sector as the omicron infection rate rises.
Chief executive Ian Girling said: “Businesses in hospitality are seeing vital festive income melt away before their eyes.
“Many have survived nearly two years of the most challenging trading conditions imaginable and now face the hammer blow of another Covid-hit Christmas period.
“Cancellation of events is already having an enormous impact and it is time for the government to step in to support the sector.
“The number of Covid cases is only going to rise in the coming days and weeks, which could leave businesses more widely facing a two-punch combination of rising staff absences and plummeting consumer confidence.
“The government needs to be proactive in its support for under-pressure businesses rather than waiting for the crisis to worsen.”