Covid: The travel chaos continues throughout the next week

As the week begins, there have been more COVID-related airline cancellations around the world, rounding off a horrible holiday season for thousands of individuals.

According to the FlightAware data tracking website, more than 1,400 flights were cancelled on Monday, with Chinese and US destinations taking the brunt of the losses. According to US airlines, the cause of the disruption is crews testing positive or isolating themselves.

Following positive cases among some arrivals, Hong Kong has imposed a two-week ban on all Korean Air flights. Over 8,000 flights have been cancelled since the start of the long Christmas weekend on Friday.

Although the number of cancellations is a small percentage of the total, it is greater than usual, and it occurs at a time of year when many people travel to see family and friends.

In a related event, US authorities are keeping an eye on scores of cruise ships that have been affected by COVID cases while travelling in US waters, with several of them apparently being denied port in the Caribbean, according to the AFP news agency.

Covid instances are on the rise all across the world, thanks in large part to the Omicron form.

Despite initial discoveries indicating Omicron is milder than other coronavirus variations, experts remain concerned about the large number of illnesses reported.

Beijing and Shanghai airports appear to be the most hit, with nearly 300 cancellations between them. The Chinese government has been silent on the matter.

The airport in Xi’an, in northern China, is also on the list. Officials have lately ordered more than 13 million residents in the city to stay at home as authorities strive to contain a COVID epidemic.

In the United States, Omicron is presently the most common strain.

Severe weather, on the other hand, is a factor. On Sunday, a coating of snow in the western state of Washington delayed flights and hampered highways, adding to the travel misery.

According to FlightAware, British Airways had 42 cancellations for Monday in the UK.

According to Johns Hopkins University in the United States, coronavirus has killed about 5.4 million people globally.