TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Commercial airlines worldwide canceled more than 4,500 flights over the holiday weekend Christmas Day, as the rising wave of COVID-19 infections driven by the Omicron variant creates uncertainty.
Airlines around the world canceled at least 2,401 flights on Friday, which fell on Christmas Eve, which is normally a busy day for air travel, according to a running tally on flight tracking sites. FlightAware.com. Nearly 10,000 more flights were delayed.
Reported Reuters, December 26, 2021, the website shows that 1,779 Christmas Day flights were canceled worldwide, along with another 402 that had been scheduled for Sunday.
Commercial air traffic within the United States and into or out of the country accounts for more than a quarter of all flights canceled over the weekend, according to data. FlightAware.
Among the first US airlines to report a wave of weekend holiday cancellations were United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, which canceled nearly 280 combined flights on Friday, citing personnel shortages amid a spike in COVID-19 infections.
COVID-19 infections have surged in the United States in recent days due to the highly contagious variant of Omicron, which was first detected in November and now accounts for nearly three-quarters of US cases and as much as 90% in some areas, such as the east coast of the United States.
The average number of new coronavirus cases in the US has risen 45% to 179,000 per day over the past week, according to a tally Reuters.
New York reported more than 44,000 newly confirmed infections on Friday alone, breaking the state’s daily record. At least 10 other states recorded new one-day case records on Thursday or Friday.
Rising hospitalizations are hitting healthcare systems in the US Midwest, with intensive care units in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan bracing for the worst even as they remain under pressure from previous waves of Delta variant cases.
Passengers queue at John F. Kennedy International Airport after the airline announced a number of flights were canceled during the deployment of the Omicron variant on Christmas Eve in Queens, New York City, USA, December 24, 2021. [REUTERS//Dieu-Nalio Chery]
In the UK, many industries and transport networks are struggling with staff shortages as sick workers are self-isolating, while hospitals have warned of the risk of impact on patient safety.
One in 20 Londoners is infected COVID-19 last week, that figure could rise to one in 10 as early as next week, according to data released on Thursday by the Office for National Statistics.
Government data showed a record tally of 122,186 new infections nationwide as of Friday, marking the third day in which the number of known cases has surpassed 100,000.
While recent research suggests Omicron causes milder illness, and lower hospitalization rates, than previous COVID-19 variants, health officials are anticipating it with extreme caution.
“There’s a glimmer of hope for Christmas… but it’s clearly not yet at a point where we can scale down that serious threat,” Jenny Harries, head of the UK’s Health Safety Administration, told BBC.
France hit another record COVID-19 infection on Friday, with its daily tally exceeding 94,000 while hospitalizations for the virus hit a seven-month high, prompting the government to hold a special meeting for Monday that could trigger new restrictions.
Despite the uncertainty and gloomy news around the world, millions of Americans are continuing to plan their way through the second pandemic-ridden holiday season.
Moses Jimenez, an accountant from Long Beach, Mississippi, flew to New York with his wife and three children, although the latest stream of coronavirus cases dashed their hopes of seeing the Broadway show “Hamilton” or visiting some museums.
“Hamilton” is one of dozens of production houses canceling shows this week because the cast and crew tested positive for COVID-19. The museum was dropped from family vacation plans because many now require proof of vaccination and two younger children are ineligible for vaccination.
In contrast, Jimenez, 33, said his children would explore the city’s streets and parks, while visiting relatives and friends.
“We just wanted to get out of the house, really, bring the kids into town for Christmas,” Jimenez told Reuters Thursday at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
New York plans to sharply limit the number of people allowed in Times Square for its outdoor 2022 New Year’s Eve celebrations, in response to a spike in new coronavirus cases, and cap the number of attendees to 15,000.
The Joe Biden administration will next week lift travel restrictions in eight south African countries that were imposed last month over concerns about… varian Omicron, said the White House.
Also read: Omicron alert, Americans are advised not to attend parties
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