Airlines canceled around nineteen hundred American flights on Christmas Eve amid a surge in Coronavirus infections due to the Omicron variant. However, hundreds of wary Americans keep on travel plans through a second COVID-19 pandemic-clouded winter holiday. Delta Airlines and United Airlines both cut several Christmas Eve flights because of shortages of staff members amid the increase in new infections.
According to the statistics from the website, FlightAware revealed that Delta Airlines canceled one hundred and fifty flights, and United Airlines withdrew one hundred and seventy-seven flights. The website data further showed that over twenty-one hundred flights canceled internationally, with five hundred and twenty-seven, within into or out of the U.S. In addition, the cancellations overturned some plans, but several American nationals pushed ahead with Christmas holiday travel.
Fighting Stigma : U.S. airlines cut hundreds of Christmas Eve flights, but Americans carry on — FX Empire: By Maria Caspani NEW YORK (Reuters) – Millions of Americans carried on warily with travel plans through a second pandemic-clouded holiday season,… https://t.co/EnY6IgmXfY
— Stigmabase | ORG (@Pairsonnalites) December 25, 2021
Coronavirus cases surged in the U.S. amid the most contagious Omicron variant, which now accounts for almost three-quarters of the American cases and more than ninety percent in such areas as the Eastern seaboard. According to Reuters tally, the average number of new Coronavirus cases rose thirty-seven percent to around 165,000 a day over the last week.
As the Omicron variant spreads, the Biden government announced to withdraw travel restrictions on eight southern African nations that it imposed last month after the strain detected in those countries. Kevin Munoz, the spokesperson of the White House, tweeted that the travel restriction had bought America time to understand the new variant and know the existing vaccines work of the U.S.
Surging Omicron Infections and Travel in the United States
The daily number of hospitalizations and deaths, measured lagging previous indicators, changed countrywide during the last seven days but rose to fifty-five percent and twenty-eight percent, respectively, during December. United Airlines stated that they canceled the flights because of the surge in the Omicron cases, as it affected the flight crews and the people who run the flight operation.
On Thursday, the Transportation Security Administration screened around 2187792 travelers through the United States airports, a decline of about three hundred sixty-four thousand over the number of passengers it screened pre-Coronavirus on the same date in 2019. American nationals rushed for Coronavirus tests and considered variable public health guidelines – American officials said that people who received full vaccination shots should travel comfortably during the holiday season – several of them determined to enjoy some resemblance of traditions and celebrations.
As of 05:30 pm Eastern, the U.S. aviation canceled around nine hundred and fifty-seven flights on Christmas Day, up from six hundred and ninety cancellations Friday. Additionally, two hundred and fifty-three canceled for Sunday. Globally, around twenty-seven hundred flights canceled Saturday, following 2380 flights on Friday. Delta canceled approximately three hundred and nine flights Saturday – most of them in the United States – accounting for about fifteen percent of its flights, followed by United Airlines with the cancellation of two hundred and forty flights and JetBlue with 125 cancelations, which amounted to twelve percent of their flights.
BREAKING NEWS: Delta and United Airlines cancel hundreds of Christmas Day flights after an outbreak of the Omicron variant ravages flight crews and workers. RT IF YOU THINK THAT EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD GET THEIR BOOSTER SHOT ASAP!
— Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) December 24, 2021
In-person Christmas Services and Omicron
Spokesman Joseph Zwilling said they planned in-person Christmas services at all churches and communities in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, including over 2.5 million worshippers in ten counties and face mask-wearing as social distancing measures, will remain in effect. The spread of the Omicron variant will also be put on control on the New Year’s Eve celebration of New York for the second consecutive year.
Source: Web
Bill de Blasio, the Mayor of New York City, said the midnight ball drop in Times Square audience would be topped at fifteen thousand, approximately one-quarter of the typical pre-COVID-19 crowd size, hundreds of New York visitors planned to limit themselves to smaller get-togethers. According to FlightAware, about 5083 flights canceled globally on Friday and Saturday.
According to the statement of David Powell, the medical adviser of the International Air Transport Association, the risk of spread of the Omicron variant while on an aircraft is two to three times greater than the other variants of the COVID-19. But he claimed that the risk of virus spread I still lower on airplanes than in indoor spaces on the ground amid the hospital-grade air filters technology on planes.
Read Also: WHO Urges to Cancel Some Holiday Events amid Omicron
