Coronavirus Special Report
May 1-May 7, 2021
May 1-May 7, 2021
Read all about it! More than 575,000 580,000 Americans have died from the virus. More than 27% 28% 29% 30% of the nation has been fully vaccinated. Daily airline traffic in the United States passes the 1.6-million mark for the first time in more than 13 months. The U.S. halts flights from India and Singapore imposes a 21-day quarantine on most arriving travelers. Costa Rica expects tourism this year to be worse than 2020. The Tasman flying bubble springs a leak. And more. Read from the bottom for context.
Coronavirus Update: Friday, May 7, 2021
India's agony continues. Today (local time) it recorded another new one-day record for cases (414,188) and 3,915 deaths. Some of the granular numbers are also apocalyptic. In the southern state of Goa, the positivity rate has passed 50%. Here are today's other developments:
Another "record" The TSA says that 1,644,050 people passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints on Thursday. That's 64.3% of 2019's volume and the second time this week passenger counts passed 1.6 million. Down the ladder There were 47,366 new Coronavirus cases in the United States on Thursday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll was 789. The infection rate continues to come (very slowly) down the ladder as the seven-day average dips below 50,000. Shots and flights Miami International Airport will vaccinate on-site. During three upcoming periods--May 10-14, June 1-4 and June 7--employees and travelers can make appointments to get a Pfizer shot. The details are here. This seems familiar Eurocontrol says the three busiest airports on the continent this week are familiar: Frankfurt, Paris/CDG and Amsterdam. But all three are down 61-68% compared to 2019. Denmark today registered its highest number of new Coronavirus infections in four months. Flatlining Nationwide hotel occupancy averaged 57.1% for the week ended May 1, essentially the same as recent weeks. Hotel statisticians STR says Tampa and Miami continue to lead the nation in occupancy while Boston and Minneapolis still trail the Top 25 markets. Coronavirus Update: Thursday, May 6, 2021
The Coronavirus outbreak in India continues to ravage the country. More than 400,000 new cases were diagnosed today and the daily death toll neared 4,000. Experts fear the actual totals are far worse. Here are today's other developments: Wednesday wasn't a day of the dead The TSA says that 1,268,938 people passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints on Wednesday. That's 55.8% of 2019's volume and two points better than Tuesday's performance. Really ... better There were 44,510 new Coronavirus cases in the United States on Wednesday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll was 776. The seven-day new-infection rate is now at its lowest point since October, according to CNN. They say the neon lights are bright Broadway theaters in New York City have been dark for more than a year, but the lights will be coming on again. Performances are set to resume on September 14 and audiences will be permitted at 100% capacity. Tickets go on sale today. CNBC has the details. Canada has approved the Pfizer vaccine for use on children as young as age 12. Hawaii calls After a year of virtual lockdown, visitors are returning in substantial numbers to Hawaii. Although the crowds are still a fraction of the past, Honolulu and other destinations can see the upswing. The Wall Street Journal has the details. A leak in the bubble The hard-earned flying bubble across the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand has sprung a leak. New Zealand has halted flights from Sydney for 48 hours due to an outbreak there. Other trans-Tasman flights continue, however. Separately, Australian Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said today (local time) that the country's borders may stay closed until late 2022. Months ago, Qantas abandoned plans to resume international flights in July. At that time, it pushed the restart into the fall. Australia has been closed since March, 2020. Sturgis stupidity Repeated studies pinpointed last summer's South Dakota motorcycle rally in Sturgis as a super-spreader event. Yet Governor Kristi Noem, a Covid denier, continues to deny the obvious. The Argus-Leader has the details of her latest double talk.Coronavirus Update: Wednesday, May 5, 2021
The U.S. birth rate fell 4% last year, the largest single-year decrease in nearly 50 years, according to a new government report. Apparently we weren't spending a lot of time in bed during the pandemic. Here are today's other developments: May the slightly-more-than-half be with you The TSA says that 1,134,103 people passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints Tuesday, May 4. That is 53.8% of 2019's volume. Down and up There were 40,733 new Coronavirus cases in the United States on Tuesday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll was 933. That is below the seven-day rolling average for new cases, but a jump in deaths. Domani and domani and domani Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Italy can't wait until mid-June for the EU Green Pass to reopen. He urged visitors to book travel now and promised a so-called Italian Pass by the middle of May. No details, of course, because, well, Italy. Kostenlos Austrian Minister of Tourism Elisabeth Köstinger pledged to make Coronavirus tests free for visitors in order to boost the country's tourism sector. Köstinger told the Kleine Zeitung newspaper that the tourism boost would offset the cost of tests. Trouble in paradise The tourism-dependent Seychelles was intent on vaccinating its people to quicken a travel recovery. And it succeeded. No place on earth has vaccinated a higher percentage of citizens. The problem? Too many were given the weak Chinese Sinopharm and an Indian-made version of AstraZeneca. That's led to a worrisome surge in Coronavirus cases. Bloomberg has the details. Quiet skies Commercial aircraft traffic in Europe is still down 65% compared to a similar week in 2019, according to Eurocontrol, which operates the country's air traffic control system.Coronavirus Update: Tuesday, May 4, 2021
Analysts say that the rental car shortage--major firms shed about half their fleets last year--is leading to vehicles staying in service longer. The rental cars auctioned in April had an average of 79,000 miles on them, according to one analysis. That's 54% higher mileage than cars sold off in April, 2020. Here are today's other developments: After the epicenter The tri-state New York Metropolitan Area was the Coronavirus epicenter last year. In fact, more than 85,000 residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have died. But the governors of the three states separately announced that most Covid-19 restrictions will be lifted on May 19. The New York City Subway system will return to 24-hour service on May 17. After the record The TSA says that 1,463,672 people passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints Monday. This is well short of Sunday's "record" post-pandemic volume and represents 59.2% of 2019 volume. Breather over There were 50,560 new Coronavirus cases in the United States Monday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll was 483. Now that the weekend breather is over, we're right back at the (much too high) seven-day average of new cases. Florida man strikes again Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended all of the state's Coronavirus restrictions. The executive order even bars local municipalities from making their own rules. Despite DeSantis' claims of better handling of the Coronavirus, more than 35,000 people have died during the pandemic, according to Florida's health department. No Oktoberfest, but ... Bavarian officials cancelled Oktoberfest for the second consecutive year. The good news? A draft law swiftly making its way through the German Bundestag will exempt fully vaccinated people from Coronavirus curfews and contact restrictions. Singapore sling Singapore has imposed 21-day quarantines on most arriving travelers. It has also brought back tighter social-distancing rules and closed gyms and fitness centers. Tropical troubles A surge in Coronavirus cases during April has dimmed hopes of a travel recovery in Costa Rica. "We're anticipating a much worse year than 2020," said Shirley Calvo, head of the country's tourism business chamber. Reuters has the details.Coronavirus Update: Monday, May 3, 2021
The executive governing body of the European Union urged the 27 member states to "lift restrictions on non-essential travel for vaccinated persons." No road map or procedures were offered, however. The details are here from Agence France-Presse via Barron's. Here are today's other developments: The next milestone The TSA says 1,626,962 people passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints Sunday. It's the first time since mid-March, 2020, that one-day travel numbers passed the 1.6-million mark. Another weekend breather There were 29,367 new Coronavirus cases in the United States Sunday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll: 323. That's the best performance in months, but remember that weekend numbers are fragmentary and incomplete. Colorado splits the baby Colorado Governor Jared Polis extended the state's mask mandate, but carved out exceptions for fully vaccinated residents. Another bubble New Zealand, which opened a travel bubble across the Tasman Sea with Australia last month, has crafted a second. Beginning May 17, Kiwis will be permitted to travel to the Cook Islands. It's a four-hour flight between Auckland and Rarotonga. Volunteer vicissitudes If the Tokyo Summer Olympics do take place in July, it will be thanks to an army of tens of thousands of volunteers. But they aren't even being offered vaccines in a country that is far behind the global vaccination curve. The New York Times has the details.Coronavirus Update: Sunday, May 2, 2021
A Coronavirus outbreak in Ontario is threatening to overwhelm the health care system in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada's most populous province. Agence France-Presse has the details. Here are today's other developments: Were they flying to a mountain greenery? The TSA says 1,335,535 people passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints Saturday. It represents 67.8% of 2019's volume. That's a lot of people on the first of May--which Rodgers and Hart told us is moving day--but not close to the highest post-pandemic percentage. Respite There were 45,303 new Coronavirus cases in the United States Saturday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll: 490. That's a respite from recent days, but remember that weekend numbers are fragmentary and incomplete. Rules are for passengers James Hogan, a travel industry veteran best-known for his expensive (and failed) expansion of Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways, is in hot water with British authorities. He tried to duck mandatory quarantine when he arrived at London/Heathrow from a "red zone" country. The Daily Mail has the ugly details. April averages According to a compilation of daily TSA statistics, 41,826,159 people passed through airport checkpoints in April. That's more than 3 million more people than flew in March. In other words, about 100,000 more a day on average. Whether it counts as a boom or the start of a travel recovery is in the eye of the beholder. Mukashi mukashi Once upon a time, the Travel Newsstand told tales of travel. But that was before the Coronavirus. In the last "normal" edition before this page converted to daily coverage of the pandemic in mid-January, 2020, we explained the importance of 7-Eleven stores in Japan and the raging battle between the chain and one of its Osaka franchises. Now there's been another turn, with 7-Eleven building a second, temporary branch in the franchisee's parking lot and trying to make him pay for the operation. The New York Times has the details.Coronavirus Update: Saturday, May 1, 2021
India's health ministry reports that 401,993 new Coronavirus infections today (local time). That's the highest one-day rate ever recorded. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration said yesterday that it would halt most flights from India beginning Tuesday (May 4). Here are today's other developments: Who is that masked flyer? All of us, actually. The federal travel mask mandate, first imposed on February 1 and due to expire May 11, has been extended through September 13. Out like two lambs The TSA says that 1,558,553 people passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints Friday. It represents 61.2% of 2019's volume, virtually identical to Thursday's volume. C'mon folks, do better ... There were 57,922 new Coronavirus cases in the United States Friday, says Johns Hopkins. The death toll: 1,038. Those numbers would have been alarming in, say, October, but hardly raise an eyebrow now as we focus on vaccination rates and processes. No LUV lost A Southwest Airlines flight attendant has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the airline, accusing it of lax Coronavirus protocols and contact tracing that led to the death of her husband. TheHill.com has the details. Unmasked The District of Columbia yesterday loosened most mask requirements for fully vaccinated adults in the nation’s capital. Meanwhile, Mississippi on Friday eliminated virtually all its Coronavirus-inspired restrictions. Most students will be required to wear masks until the end of the upcoming school year, however. College daze More than 100 U.S. colleges will require students be vaccinated before attending in-person classes. The New York Times has the details.