The bosses of Omicron, a printing company named after Omicron, say that they won’t change their name – even though it is being used by the most recent Covid version.
Omicron Reprographics was established in Canterbury, Kent in 1995.
But the small printing shop is now no longer the most talked about ‘Omicron’ in the cathedral city since emergence of the new Covid strain – named after the 15th Greek letter.
Owners Mark Fawcett-Jones and director Dave Loveridge say they have been inundated with calls and messages from surprised customers following the naming of the new variant by the World Health Organisation.
But they say they will not change the shop’s name, which is also shares with a 1963 Italian sci-fi film.
Instead they have decided to embrace it, by dressing up in Breaking Bad-style costumes and adding ‘not the variant’ in email signatures.
They also hope the wider use of the name will mean customers will spell it properly, ‘having corrected people for the last 13 years’.
Mr Loveridge said: ‘We’ve been asked by a few people if we’d considered changing the name, but we haven’t.
Omicron Reprographics has been running for more than 25 years in Canterbury in Kent. But the small printing shop is now no longer the most talked about ‘Omicron’ in the cathedral city since emergence of the new Covid strain – named after the 15th Greek letter
After the World Health Organisation’s naming of the new variant, owners Mark Fawcett Jones and Dave Loveridge received a flood of calls and messages. Pictured at Omicron, Canterbury, Kent
Bosses have said they won’t change their shop’s name and instead embrace it by wearing Breaking Bad-style clothes and inputting ‘not that variant’ into email signatures
“We have been in business since 2008 and the company has been here for over 25 years. We are well-known all across the south east. We are hopeful that the name will not be changed.
It’s both our email and web addresses. Because people get their names wrong, we have to constantly correct it.
“We are hopeful that they’ll get things right after correcting people over the past 13 years.
However, there has been no drop in trade.
Ms. Loveridge said, “There’s not been an impact so far. It’s been quite a hectic day.”
“If it was believed that it originated from us, and we started it, we might have to change the name.”
“We are having customers from the past getting in touch with us and asking them why they chose your name.” “The phone just rang.
Omicron refers to the 15th letter in the Greek alphabet. The World Health Organisation uses it to identify new Covid types of concern.
The organisation called for a change in the name of countries at the beginning of the pandemic, warning that it might lead to countries becoming’stigmatised.
Alpha was renamed for previous strains like the Kent strain. The dominant Indian strain became Delta.
Mu was the previous variant. WHO decided not to include Nu or Xi in the new Omicron variant.
The WHO states that Nu was not included because of its easy confusion with ‘New,’ while Xi was dropped because it’s a Chinese common surname.
Some claim that the WHO skipped Xi to not offend China’s leader Xi Jinping.
Omicron Reprographics wouldn’t be the first company to face calls for a change of name.
Corona beer has denied changing its branding after the pandemic.
As the terrorist militant group ISIS rose in prominence, many businesses, bands and translation agencies had to change their names.
The new NHS Test and Trace head has today advised Britons to avoid socializing before Christmas, after Scotland revealed three more Omicron super strain cases. This brings the UK’s total of Omicron super strain cases to 14.
One of No10’s top health specialists, Dr Jenny Harries issued the harsh warning. She admitted that the vaccines against this strain are less likely to work and could potentially have an ‘important impact on our hospitals.
If the epidemic grows, she suggested that working remotely could be the next step. She added: “If there are surges in the number of cases, then it will make sense to work remotely.”
From 4am, this morning in England, new Government rules regarding face masks (and self-isolation) to stop the spread of the variant were implemented. Coverings must be worn on public transport and in shops and beauty salons.
But Labour’s London Mayor Sadiq Khan today urged people in the capital to wear face masks in pubs and restaurants, deviating from No10’s own guidance.
The restrictions will be reviewed nationally in three weeks. This means that Britons may be subject to last-minute curbs days before Christmas.
Boris Johnson, who will be holding a Downing Street Press Conference at 4pm on Wednesday to provide an update about the Covid situation as well as outline the set of actions that were taken this morning in order to address the variant.
Today’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, defended England’s latest coronavirus rules.
He stated that the measures in place today were proportionate, responsible and would buy time against this new version.
“Vaccines, boosters, remain our best defense. So it’s more important than ever to make sure that everyone is eligible for a boost.
Following the announcement by Scotland of three more Omicron cases, 14 Omicron cases have been identified in the UK. England, however, has only discovered five.
Yesterday, Britain expanded the current booster program for adults aged 18 and over. Although Omicron is expected to be less severe, the aim of the booster rollout was to increase immunity for all adults over 18.