Omicron risk turns Americans’ Christmas travel plans upside down

Americans face a second Christmas of altered holiday plans, with a surge in COVID-19 infections fueled by the now-dominant omicron variant, forcing some people to cancel their trips and consider whether it is safe to visit their loved ones. dear.

Carmen Rivera and her fiancee Jasmine Maisonet made the painful decision to cancel their flights to visit family in Florida and Puerto Rico after Maisonet was exposed to an infected coworker and tested positive for COVID-19.

Rivera, a newly elected councilor in Renton, Washington, has not seen her family in Puerto Rico since the start of the pandemic. With the latest wave of COVID-19 infecting even those who have been vaccinated and beefed up against the disease, like Maisonet, Rivera noted that it hurt to spend another holiday season in isolation.

“We believed we were safe, we washed our hands, we disinfected ourselves, we vaccinated ourselves, we put on a mask … We believe in science,” Rivera said.

The rapid rise in omicron infections, first detected last month and now accounting for 73% of cases in the United States, has once again brought confusion and concern around Christmas trips.

Many Americans flocked to COVID-19 testing centers or rushed home tests this week to make sure they tested negative before going to see family members.

However, Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told NBC on Wednesday that the virus posed less of a threat this year than last year due to advances in vaccines and scientific understanding of the virus.

“We are in a very different place than a year ago. We have vaccines, we have reinforcements and we have all the science that shows that prevention, interventions such as masks in closed places work to mitigate the spread of this virus, “he said.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that vaccinated people should take precautions, but feel comfortable celebrating the holidays with family and traveling as planned, despite the omicron surge.

Long Island insurance agent Lori Eves considered the risk and refused to let omicron ruin her trip to Paris with her retired mother this month. The two women had the Palace of Versailles almost to themselves on Friday.

“I’m not really worried,” said Eves, 42, while taking a tour of the palace on the outskirts of the French capital. “We are both vaccinated and boosted, and the truth is that we feel safe.”

Travel companies are betting that vaccinated Americans will stick with their plans and have maintained an optimistic outlook on the holiday season this year, building on the momentum of the rebound in travel in the United States during Thanksgiving.

The American Automobile Association estimates that 109 million Americans will hit the road, hop on a plane, or travel more than 50 miles between December 23 and January 2, an increase of 34% over 2020, according to a statement from the AAA.

However, AAA spokeswoman Ellen Edmonds noted that that estimate was compiled before Dec. 14, and that the spike in cases that has occurred since then could lead to cancellations.