UK families see hard times ahead as COVID programs end

Millions of people across the U.K. are facing a long, bleak winter as the rising cost of living collides with the end of government programs that once shielded households from the economic fallout of COVID-19

LONDON -- Diana Gaglio has been in the economic crosshairs of the pandemic for the past 18 months.

The 53-year-old from Bedfordshire, north of London, was furloughed from her job as entertainment manager for a holiday company when COVID-19 gutted the travel industry, then lost her job altogether just before Christmas. Now her temporary job at a virus testing center is coming to an end, just as the government scraps the emergency program that provided an income the last time she was out of work.

“The market is going to be flooded,’’ Gaglio said. “If it wasn’t hard already, it’s going to be harder.’’

Gaglio is one of millions of people across the U.K. who are facing a long, bleak winter as the rising cost of living collides with the end of government programs that once shielded households from the economic fallout of COVID-19.