Coronavirus Special Report
March 13-March 19, 2021
March 13-March 19, 2021
Read all about it! More than 532,000 535,000 540,000 Americans have died from the virus. More than 100 105 115 million doses of vaccine have been administered. Travel is roaring back in the United States as flying and hotel occupancy both hit post-pandemic highs. Starved for vaccines--and worried about the AstraZeneca version--Europe is doing less well. Italy, the first Western epicenter of the Coronavirus, locks down again. A late winter storm buries Denver International. And more. Read from the bottom for context.
Coronavirus Update: Friday, March 19, 2021
Many European nations, including Italy, Spain, Germany, France and Portugal, are resuming the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The move comes after the EU's leading medical agency says the value of the shot far outweighs any potential problems. Here are today's other developments:
Going 60 The TSA says 1,407,233 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints Thursday. That's the highest volume in more than a year and represents 60.6% of 2019 volume. On the too-high plateau There were 59,822 new Coronavirus cases in the United States on Thursday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll was 1,611. That plateau, where numbers have been for a week or so, is far too high, according to experts worried about a new spike in infections. France locking up Paris and more than a dozen other areas in Northern France are locking down again. Non-essentials shops must close and restaurants may only offer takeaway and delivery. Travel is restricted. The nationwide curfew, which had been 6pm since mid-December, has been extended to 7pm, however. Back to the Big Apple Only a small percentage of Manhattanites moved permanently to Florida last year. And as vaccinations stir fresh hope that the pandemic's end is near, talk of South Florida drawing Wall Streeters en masse is just talk. Bloomberg has the details. Maybe this is why A fist fight broke out at Fort Lauderdale Wednesday evening because ... masks and Florida women. WSVN television in Miami has the details. Uneasy jet One of Europe's leading discounters, EasyJet, is operating 141 daily flights, only 10% of 2019 levels, according to Eurocontrol.Coronavirus Update: Thursday, March 18, 2021
The IRS has extended the filing deadline for tax returns to May 17 from April 15. The exceptions: Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Their deadline was extended to June 15 due to bad weather earlier this year. Here are today's other developments: The tipping point The TSA says 1,140,624 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints on Wednesday. It's the first day in 2021 with more traffic than in 2020. Barring another collapse in traffic, every day in 2021 from now on should have more traffic than 2020. Hotel high point Nationwide hotel occupancy reached 52.1% for the week ended March 13. It is the highest average occupancy in a year, says STR, the hotel statisticians. It also means the industry has recaptured as much as 75% of its 2019 occupancy. Up and down, reversed ... There were 58,480 new Coronavirus cases in the United States Wednesday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll was 1,173. That is more new cases than Tuesday, but fewer deaths. That's a reverse of Tuesday compared to Monday. Iceland has reopened to visitors who are fully vaccinated or who can produce a negative test. The details are at the health ministry's site. Money for nothing The four largest U.S. airlines--United, American, Delta and Southwest--have $10 billion worth of traveler vouchers and credits on the books. They expect a huge amount of "breakage"--vouchers going unused--and unredeemed credits drop right to their respective bottom lines. The Wall Street Journal has the details. Open for business A year after AMC closed movie theaters nationwide, "it gives me immense joy to say that by the end of next week we expect that 99% of our U.S. locations will have reopened.” The statement was made by Adam Aron, AMC's chief executive and an old travel hand. He's a former top executive at United Airlines, Hyatt Hotels, Vail Resorts and Norwegian Cruise Lines.Coronavirus Update: Wednesday, March 17, 2021
The European Union says it will try to create a vaccine passport--er, um, "green digital certificate"--to speed the return of travel to the region. Agence France Presse has the details. Here are today's other developments: Plateau The TSA says 1,088,816 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints Tuesday, the sixth consecutive day above one million passengers. At 44.2% of 2019 volume, however, it's the slowest comparative travel day in a week. Up and down ... There were 53,579 new Coronavirus cases in the United States Tuesday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll was 1,286. That is fewer new cases than Monday, but substantially more deaths. Listen to the pros On the fence about when to travel again? Perhaps listen to the pros. IATA, the global airline trade organization, has delayed its annual general meeting. It's scheduled for October 3-5 in Boston, rescheduled from June 27-29. More stops Sweden and Latvia are the two latest European nations to stop distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Various medical bodies, however, insist the vaccine is safe and the instances of blood clots are at or below the number in the general population. Cathay Pacific of Hong Kong carried just 21,134 passengers in February, a decrease of 97.9% compared to February, 2020. Coronavirus Update: Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Retail sales plunged 3% in February, according to Census Bureau reports. Here are today's other developments: Hot times at the airport The TSA says that 1,263,990 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints Monday, the fifth consecutive day above one million passengers. For the past seven days, 8.25 million people flew, which represents 49.6% of 2019 volume. For the previous seven days, it was only 7.19 million and 45% of 2019 volume. Progress, but ... There were 56,649 new Coronavirus cases in the United States Monday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll: 740. That's real progress compared to early in January, when new cases reached 300,000 in one day and the daily death toll reached nearly 4,500. Experts are still concerned about a fourth spike, however, fueled by spring break and the relaxation of mask mandates and capacity rules in many states. Delta Air Lines says March revenue is coming in about 40% higher than in February. "While the numbers are going to be another large loss ... the real story for the quarter kicked in 5-6 weeks ago when we saw bookings pick up," Delta chief executive Ed Bastian said yesterday. Hawaii calls More than 26,000 visitors arrived in Hawaii on the weekend. That's substantially higher compared to recent weeks, but still shy of pre-pandemic levels of 30,000 travelers a day. Europe's agony Agence France-Presse reports Coronavirus deaths in Europe have passed the 900,000 mark. That includes 125,000 in Britain; 102,000 in Italy; a reported 93,000 in Russia; 90,000 in France; 73,000 in Germany; and 72,000 in Spain. Casper the friendly chain chef The rise in "ghost kitchens" as pandemic-restrained diners order more from delivery apps has spawned a new angle: National franchises utilizing ghost kitchens. The New York Times has the details. Spain has joined many other European nations in halting the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.Coronavirus Update: Monday, March 15, 2021
Mississippi tomorrow becomes the fourth state to open Coronavirus vaccines to all adults in the state. Alaska, Georgia and Michigan are the others. Here are today's developments: Flying to the nines The TSA says 1,344,128 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints Sunday. It's the ninth day in March with more than a million travelers and represents 90.5% of 2020 volume. Hopeful There were 38,222 new Coronavirus cases in the United States Sunday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll: 572. As I frequently warn, weekend numbers are fragmentary and incomplete, but these are hopeful. Buried alive More that 27 inches of snow had fallen by 1am today at Denver International. Runways are closed, bus and rail service is suspended and the access road, Pena Boulevard, has been largely impassable. All flights were cancelled yesterday. At least half were dumped on Saturday. Nearly 1,200 takeoffs and landings have been cancelled today, but airport officials hope to reopen runways as early as 2pm local time. Shot down Germany, France and Italy today suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The Netherlands and Ireland did the same yesterday. And Indonesia halted plans to begin its distribution there. The concern is a rash of cases of blood clots in vaccinated people. Plane rude A man on an Alaska Airlines flight last Tuesday was arrested by the FBI after he refused to wear a mask and then urinated in the aisle. Meanwhile, a performer named DJ Drama was removed from a United Airlines flight Saturday over a masking drama.Coronavirus Update: Sunday, March 14, 2021
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma yesterday gave an impromptu concert at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The 65-year-old superstar conducted the concert during the 15-minute observation period after receiving his second vaccine shot. Here are today's developments: Millions and millions flown The TSA says that 1,223,057 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints Saturday. It's the eighth day in March with more than a million travelers and represents 46.4% of 2019 volume. Er, um ... There were 53,215 new Coronavirus cases in the United States Saturday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll: 1,725. Weekend numbers are fragmentary and incomplete yet they were almost as high as Friday's new-case and death toll. This is not over yet, folks. Please be careful. Hello, room service? Send up some tests! Inevitable, of course, but as we predicted months ago, hotels are offering guests Coronavirus tests as an "amenity." The Washington Post has the details. Ireland has temporarily stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine after Norwegian authorities reported four more serious cases of blood clots in people who were administered AstraZeneca shots. Cheesy Cheese consumption at home in France skyrocketed during France's second lockdown last year. Data from the FranceAgriMer-Kantar agency says home deliveries of cow's-milk cheese were up 8.5%. Goat cheese rose 7.2%. Ironically, the most popular was not a French cheese, but mozzarella, up 21.1%. Meanwhile, sales of raclette machines for home use surged 300% during the lockdown.Coronavirus Update: Saturday, March 13, 2021
A Texas judge refused to grant state officials a temporary restraining order to require Austin to lift its mask mandate. The city (and state capital) will be allowed to require masks until a trial begins in two weeks. Here are today's developments: Travel like its 2020 The TSA says 1,357,111 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints Friday. That's the busiest one-day total since March 15, 2020. It's also the seventh day this month with more than a million travelers. Hotel high Nationwide hotel occupancy for the week ended March 6 reached a 20-week high at 49%. Statistics were compiled by STR, the industry recordkeeper. Pay attention, please There were 61,204 new Coronavirus cases in the United States Friday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll: 1,769. That's up substantially from Thursday's numbers, so please pay attention. This is not over yet. Aiuto! Italy, the first pandemic epicenter in the Western world, is going back into virtual lockdown starting Monday. With the exception of the island of Sardinia, the country will move back into either orange or red zones. That means restaurants are closed except for takeaway or delivery. Other shops can remain open in the orange zone, but all museums and attractions must close. In red zones, everything is closed except for essential services. The country will also totally lock down over the Easter weekend, which includes Easter Monday (Pasquetta or Little Easter), a major holiday in Italy. Finland has extended its entry restrictions until April 17. That essentially keeps the country off-limits to all visitors. Asia alone As most Asia-Pacific nations pursued hard lockdowns and sealed their respective borders, this should come as no surprise: The region suffered the most from travel declines in 2020. International visitors to the region fell 84% in 2020 and hotel occupancy in the Asia-Pac area recorded average occupancy of just 44%.