Americans face another festive period with holiday disruptions

WASHINGTON • Americans are facing a second Christmas of upended holiday plans, with a surge in Covid-19 infections fuelled by the now-dominant Omicron variant forcing some people to cancel travel or worry about whether it is safe to visit loved ones.

The swift rise in infections from Omicron, first detected last month and now accounting for at least 73 per cent of US cases, has caused fresh concern around holiday travel.

Many Americans are scrambling for Covid-19 tests before heading to see relatives, while also sorting through varying public health guidance about what is safe for gatherings.

In the last seven days, the average number of US cases has risen 26 per cent, and cases are up 83 per cent since the start of the month, according to a Reuters tally.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday pledged to assist states in battling the wave of cases by providing stockpiled resources and mobilising 1,000 troops to aid with healthcare.

Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told NBC that Covid-19 posed less of a threat this year than last year because of vaccines and a better scientific understanding of the virus.

Americans vaccinated and boosted against Covid-19 can be with family over the holidays, but attending large gatherings of more than 30 people is not safe, even for those who received a booster dose, top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday.

Some Americans are waiting until the last minute to decide whether to press forward with their Christmas plans.

Ms Morgan Johnson, a 28-year-old middle school teacher in Washington, DC, is spending the week with her parents in Chicago. They are taking several at-home Covid-19 tests to determine whether they will drive to see Ms Johnson's grandparents outside Minneapolis over Christmas.

Her grandparents are in their 80s, vaccinated and want the family to visit, Ms Johnson said. But she and her parents, all of whom are vaccinated, worry about spreading the variant.

"You would never forgive yourself for getting your grandparents sick," she said.

Travel companies are betting vaccinated Americans will follow through on their plans, and have retained a rosy outlook on this year's holiday season.

The American Automobile Association estimated that 109 million Americans will hit the road, board a plane or otherwise travel more than 80km between yesterday and Jan 2, marking a 34 per cent increase from last year. AAA spokesman Ellen Edmonds said the estimate was compiled before Dec 14, and the recent spike in cases might prompt cancellations.

The Transportation Security Administration screened more than two million passengers through the nation's airports each day from Dec 16 to 20, about double the number on those dates last year and almost as many as in 2019.

Covid-19 cases are contributing to labour shortages in New York City's police department, with 7.8 per cent of its force out sick on Tuesday, Commissioner Dermot Shea told WPIX-TV on Wednesday.

CityMD, which operates a chain of medical clinics in New York and elsewhere, said it had to close 19 out of 150 facilities on Wednesday after staff had to cope with massive demand for testing in the past week.

Separately, California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state would require healthcare workers and workers in high-risk congregate settings to get a booster by Feb 1 as part of the state's response to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

REUTERS