Travelers wait in line at Delta Airlines check-in at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, on Dec 24, 2021.
(DAVID MCNEW / AFP)
MEXICO CITY / PRISTINA / HAVAN / DAR ES SALAAM / WASHINGTON / NEW YORK – US airlines canceled more than 1,300 flights on Sunday as COVID-19 thinned out the number of available crews, while several cruise ships had to cancel stops after outbreaks on board, upending the plans of thousands of Christmas travelers.
READ MORE: Thousands of flights canceled as Omicron mars Christmas
Commercial airlines had canceled 1,318 flights within, into or out of the United States by mid-afternoon, according to a tally on flight-tracking website FlightAware.com.
A total of 997 flights were scrapped on Christmas Day and nearly 700 on Christmas Eve. Thousands more were delayed on all three days. Overall, US airports most heavily impacted were in Seattle, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth and JFK International in New York
At least three cruise ships were also forced to return to port without making scheduled port calls after COVID-19 cases were detected on board, according to multiple media reports.
It was the third straight day of pain for some Americans traveling over the weekend as the Christmas holidays, typically a peak time for travel, coincided with a rapid spread of the Omicron variant nationwide.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease official, warned of rising US cases in coming days and potentially "overrun…hospitals, particularly in those regions in which you have a larger proportion of unvaccinated individuals."
"It likely will go much higher," he said of the Omicron-driven surge even as President Joe Biden last week unveiled new actions aimed at containing the latest wave and continued urging vaccinations and other prevention strategies.
Enjoli Rodriguez, 25, whose Delta Air Lines Inc flight from Los Angeles to Lexington, Kentucky, was canceled on Christmas Eve, was one of thousands still stranded on Sunday.
Delta rebooked Rodriguez through Detroit, but that flight was delayed so she missed the connection.
Speaking from the Detroit airport on Sunday, Rodriguez said she was surrounded by angry passengers, flustered airline representatives and families with young children in limbo.
A total of 997 flights were scrapped on Christmas Day and nearly 700 on Christmas Eve. Thousands more were delayed on all three days.
Overall, US airports most heavily impacted were in Seattle, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth and JFK International in New York.
Globally, 3,023 flights were called off and more than 13,742 were delayed, as of 8:15 pm EST on Sunday, FlightAware data showed.
Meanwhile, a Royal Caribbean Cruises cruise ship turned back to Ft Lauderdale, CNN reported, and on Sunday a Carnival Corp ship returned to Miami after COVID was detected onboard, although it was unclear if the cases were Omicron.
Cuba
Cuba reported 122 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 and no linked deaths in the past day, bringing the national counts to 964,729 and 8,320, respectively, the Cuban Ministry of Public Health informed Sunday.
It comes after the Caribbean nation on Saturday registered more than 100 daily infections for the first time since Dec 5.
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The country's capital of Havana, home to 2.2 million inhabitants, recorded the majority of new cases (41), followed by the Cuban provinces of Matanzas (12) and Ciego de Avila (12).
At present, there are 488 active cases of COVID-19 on the island, 11 of them are in intensive care units.
Kosovo
Kosovo's health ministry said on Sunday it had registered its first nine cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the Balkan country.
The ministry said that out of 22 people who tested positive to COVID-19 in the past 10 days, nine had been identified as Omicron variant.
The ministry said that out of the nine, two people came from the United States, two from the UK, one from France and four other cases were Kosovars who have not travelled outside the country.
The ministry added that “the Omicron variant is expected to worsen the epidemiologic situation in the country.”
Kosovo has seen a relatively calm period in the past weeks with only 12 positive cases and one death on Sunday.
A young woman is vaccinated against COVID-19 during a vaccination program for people between 15 and 17 years-old at the Caliente Stadium in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on Nov 24, 2021.
(GUILLERMO ARIAS / AFP)
Mexico
Mexico's health ministry reported 3,719 additional cases of coronavirus infections and 107 more fatalities on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3,951,003 and the death toll from the pandemic to 298,777.
Sunday's figures included data gathered over the course of two days. The health ministry did not publish a formal report on the latest COVID-19 developments on Saturday.
Officials have said the ministry's figures likely represent a significant undercount of both COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Tanzania
Health authorities on Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar on Sunday enhanced preventive measures against COVID-19, especially those with regard to international travel.
A joint statement by the Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar ministries of health said all authorities at points of entry should ensure adherence to infection prevention and control measures by travelers and staff, including hand hygiene, physical distancing and wearing of face masks.
According to the statement, all travelers including Tanzanians and returning residents will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test certificate with a QR code for verification upon arrival.
It said negative COVID-19 test certificate upon arrival is mandatory while penalty shall be imposed on non-compliant conveyances and travelers without a negative COVID-19 test certificate upon arrival shall be denied entry and repatriated.
