Thousands of flights were canceled worldwide when Omicron draws the Christmas weekend from Reuters

Author: Arriana McLymore

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Airlines around the world canceled more than 4,000 flights over the Christmas weekend, as numerous waves of COVID-19-induced COVID-19 infections caused more uncertainty and misery for holiday travelers.

The airline canceled 2,314 flights on Friday and crashed every winter and is typically a heavy day for air travel, according to data from the FlightAware.com flight tracking website.

The website showed that another 1,404 flights were canceled on Christmas Day worldwide, and another 340 were scheduled for Sunday.

Commercial air traffic out of the U.S. and out of the country was roughly a quarter of all flights canceled over the weekend, according to FlightAware data.

One of the first U.S. carriers to announce a holiday cancellation weekend was United Airlines and Delta Air Lines (NYSE :), which closed nearly 280 flights on Friday alone, citing a shortage of staff due to a rise in COVID-19 infections.

COVID-19 infection has increased due to the Omicron variant, which has been widely transmitted in the United States in recent days, was detected in November and now accounts for almost three-quarters of US cases and 90% in some areas. East Coast.

The average number of new COVID cases rose 45% to 179,000 a day last week, according to a Reuters count. New York alone reported more than 44,000 newly confirmed infections on Friday alone, breaking the daily record for the condition.

Rising hospitalizations were hitting health care systems particularly hard in the U.S. Midwest, with intensive care units in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan facing the worst, even as they remain under pressure from a previous wave of the Delta variant.

In the UK, many industry and transport networks were struggling with staff shortages as sick workers were self-isolated, while hospitals warned that they could affect patient safety.

One in 20 Londoners had COVID-19 last week, a figure that could rise to 10 in early next week, according to data released by the National Statistics Office on Thursday. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/one-10-londoners-likely-infected-with-covid-ons-models-2021-12-24

Government data showed a record 122,186 new infections nationwide on Friday, the third day in which a known number of cases have exceeded 100,000.

Although recent research suggests that Omicron results in milder illnesses and lower hospitalization rates than previous variants of COVID-19, health care providers have maintained a cautious note about their predictions.

“There is a glimmer of hope for Christmas … but there is certainly no such thing as a serious threat at the moment,” said Jenny Harries, head of the UK Health Security Agency.

France had another COVID-19 infection record on Friday, with its daily number at more than 94,000, while hospitalizations for the virus reached a seven-month high, with the government convening a special meeting on Monday, which could lead to further public health cuts.

Despite doubts and bad news from around the world, millions of Americans continued their travel plans during the second pandemic-clouded holiday season.

Moses Jimenez, a Long Beach, Mississippi accountant, went to New York with his wife and three children, although recent coronavirus cases frustrated hopes of seeing a “Hamilton” Broadway performance or visiting some museums.

“Hamilton” was one of a dozen productions that canceled shows this week, with actors and band members testing positive for COVID-19. Museums have been wiped out of the family’s trajectory, as many now have to prove their vaccine and two small children are unable to shoot.

Instead, Jimenez, 33, said he will do his best to walk his children on the streets and parks of the city, while also seeing relatives and friends.

“We really wanted to get the kids out of town for Christmas,” Jimenez told Reuters Thursday at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

New York plans to significantly reduce the number of people allowed in Times Square for outdoor New Year’s Eve celebrations in response to the rise of new cases of coronavirus https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-york -city-scale-down- new year-eve-celebrations-times-square-2021-12-23, limiting the number of 15,000 participants.

The road administration will lift restrictions on travel restrictions imposed on eight Omicron countries in eight southern African countries next week, the White House said https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/exclusive-us-lift-travel- kurbs- eight -African-Countries-Source-2021-12-24.