Coronavirus Special Report
Year Three: Feb. 12-18, 2022
Year Three: Feb. 12-18, 2022
Read all about it! U.S. Coronavirus deaths top 931,000 as the national vaccination rate crawls above 65%. Washington ends proof-of-vaccine requirement for most businesses. Business travel flying continues to lag leisure numbers, according to TSA statistics. France ends entry-testing requirement for fully vaccinated visitors. Flight volume between the major U.S. gateways and London/Heathrow remains down sharply. Two major cruise lines and Disneyland dropping mask mandates. Germany, Austria and the Netherlands slowly lift national Covid restrictions while Switzerland ends all entry requirements. Canada says it will accept some antigen tests to enter the country. Hawaii is the last state to maintain all of its mask mandates. Two years into the pandemic, Cathay Pacific is carrying fewer than 800 passengers a day and Hong Kong is turning hotel rooms into hospital space. And more.
Coronavirus Update: Friday, February 18, 2022
The Canada update in brief: Ottawa police and other authorities are now moving to end the anti-vax protest that has paralyzed parts of the capital for more than three weeks. At least three leaders of the so-called Freedom Convoy already have been arrested (Details here.) And, of course, some organizers are known grifters and fraudsters. (Details here.) Here are today's other developments:
Boom! The TSA says that 1,977,756 people passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints yesterday. That's the busiest day at U.S. airports since January 2. Thursday, of course, is normally a busy day and yesterday was also start of the President's Day weekend. Well, that's not good ... U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy announced on Twitter today that he has tested positive for Covid-19, days after his 4-year-old daughter contracted the virus. Hawaii alone Now that New Mexico and Washington State have both loosened or announced the end of mask mandates, Hawaii is the only state that has retained all of its masking rules. The New York Times has details. Cathay catastrophe Cathay Pacific Airways flew just 24,699 passengers in January. That is only 797 passengers a day--or about the payload of three of the carrier's Airbus A350s. It represents about 2% of the airline's pre-pandemic traffic. Hong Kong isn't doing much better. A new wave of virus in the city is forcing authorities to turn as many as 10,000 hotel rooms into accommodations for Covid patients, many of whom have been waiting on gurneys under blankets outside overburdened medical centers. TheHill.com has details. Happy hotels Average U.S. hotel occupancy was 54.6% for the week ended February 12. That's the best performance since early December, according to lodging statisticians STR.Coronavirus Update: Thursday, February 17, 2022
The Canada update in brief: Ottawa officials say they are restricting access to the city's central core, which has been overwhelmed by "freedom convoy" protesters for weeks. (Details here.) Meanwhile, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says financial service providers have already frozen accounts of some individuals associated with the protesters. (Details here.) Here are today's other developments: Wednesday woes The TSA says that 1,656,217 people passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints yesterday That's just 66.8% of 2019 volume on a similar Wednesday, another traditionally slow travel day. Swiss give it a miss Switzerland has removed all Covid-related entry rules. "Health-related measures for persons entering the country are to be lifted. It will no longer be necessary to provide proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative test or complete an entry form," according to the Swiss Federal Council. Austria adapts Austria is loosening entry rules. Effective March 5, travelers most only show one of the following: proof of full vaccination, proof of recovery or a negative test Singapore slides Singapore is adjusting entry rules. Isolation and mandatory PCR tests are out for some travelers. Effective February 21, visitors arriving under the Vaccinated Travel Lane model will instead take a supervised self-swab at a testing center within 24 hours of landing. Details are here. Vietnam reopens Vietnam will reopen to all international tourists on March 15 after a two-year border closure. (U.S. travelers already have been permitted to visit, of course.) Vaccination and negative test as well as substantial medical insurance will be required. Agence France-Presse has details.Coronavirus Update: Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022
The Canada update in brief: Three weeks into the protest in downtown Ottawa, police have begun distributing written warnings to anti-vax/anti-mask demonstrators that they must leave. Meanwhile, the Canadian government has directed banks and other financial institutions to stop doing business with protestors. Here are today's other developments: Tuesday troubles The TSA says that 1,479,653 people passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints yesterday That's just 67.5% of 2020 volume on a similar Tuesday, traditionally the slowest travel day of the week. No masks for Mickey Disneyland will lift its indoor mask mandate for vaccinated visitors starting tomorrow. The Los Angeles Times has details. Not so fast An appeals court has temporarily blocked Boston mayor Michelle Wu's vaccine mandate for city employees. (Details here.) Separately, a Georgia federal judge blocked the Air Force from dismissing a service member who refused a Covid vaccine for religious reasons. (Details here.) Canada changes Canada has implemented several changes to arrival procedures for flyers. Airlines may now fly into any Canadian airport with customs facilities. And arrivals may now show either a negative PCR or some antigen tests to enter. The new rules are effective February 28. The government posted the changes here and the CBC has analysis. Fewer rules The Netherlands says it will lift most of the country's Coronavirus restrictions on February 25. (Details here.) Meanwhile, Germany says it will end most of its restrictions by late March, but will continue to consider a vaccine mandate for all residents. (Details here.)Coronavirus Update: Tuesday, February 15, 2022
The Canada update in brief: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked rarely used emergency powers to allow the government more latitude to clear the trucker protest that continues to paralyze the area around Parliament in Ottawa. (See the Agence France-Presse report.) Meanwhile, Ottawa's police chief has resigned, according to the CBC. Separately, 13 people were arrested and a cache of weapons seized at the border crossing in Coutts, Alberta. Protesters have been trying to close the transborder crossing there. CTV News has those details. Here are today's other developments: Business travel blues Business travel isn't roaring back: Last weekend (Friday-Sunday), when leisure travelers rule, the TSA said traffic passing through U.S. airport security checkpoints was nearly 79% of 2020 volume. On Monday, a heavy day for business travel, the TSA says 1,731,473 people passed through checkpoints. That's just 69.4% of 2020 volume on a similar day. Long Covid's long haul Long Covid, the syndrome that afflicts some Coronavirus victims, apparently affects your ability to exercise long after you are "cured." The New York Times has details. The smart and the fired New York City has fired 1,430 workers for flouting the city's vaccine mandate. But the good news: Nearly 1,000 city workers on unpaid leave before being discharged were smart enough to get a vaccine. WABC News 7 has details. Novaxx again Unvaccinated tennis star Novak Djokovic, deported from Australia last month before he was able to defend his Australian Open crown, says he'll skip the French Open if it requires a vaccine. Missing high-profile tournaments is "the price that I'm willing to pay," he told the BBC Bleak Berlin Hotel occupancy in Berlin in January plunged to 28.2% as Germany was gripped by an outbreak of the Omicron variant. New Year's Day occupancy fell to 38.7%, according to lodging statisticians STR, compared to 75.3% in 2020 and 68.8% in 2019.Coronavirus Update: Monday, February 14, 2022
The Canada update in brief: Local law enforcement spent the weekend clearing anti-vax and anti-mask protestors from the Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. The bridge has now reopened to vehicular traffic, according to the CBC. Separately, at least according to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the province will scrap its vaccine passport on March 1. The province's mask mandate will remain in force, however. CTV News has those details. Here are today's other developments: Upsy-daisy Around 5.2 million people passed through TSA security checkpoints at U.S. airports over the weekend (Friday-Sunday). That is nearly 79% of 2020 volume, one of the strongest performances of 2022 so far. Down the slope There were 1,217,001 new Coronavirus cases in the United States during the last week, according to Johns Hopkins. That is a very sharp drop from the previous week's more than 2 million. The death toll was 16,286, down slightly from the previous week. Europe over a hump Eurocontrol says there was a daily average of 18,627 flights in Europe's skies during the week ended February 13. That is up nearly 8% from the previous week and moves the continent back to 70% of 2019 traffic. DC freed Washington is dropping the requirement that people show proof of coronavirus vaccination before entering many businesses. The change, which affects restaurants, bars and similar retail operations, is effective tomorrow. Open for business Microsoft will reopen its offices in Washington state and California this month, the company said today. Offices in both states will reopen on February 28.Coronavirus Update: Weekend, February 12-13, 2022
As Ontario in general and Ottawa in specific continue to struggle with disruptive anti-mask/anti-vax protesters, the province of Manitoba has begun to dismantle its Covid restrictions CBCNews.com has details. Here are this weekend's other developments. France freed France has dropped the requirement that fully vaccinated travelers also show a negative Covid test before entering the country. Agence France-Presse has details. Who was that unmasked passenger? Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean, two of the industry's largest, will drop their mask mandates. The Washington Post has details. Who was that unmasked associate? Subject to local regulations, Walmart says it dropped the mask mandate for fully vaccinated employees. CNN has details. Snags in the NyLon Eurocontrol, which handles the continent's air traffic system, says New York-London continues to be the busiest long-haul route. There were 24 average daily flights during the week ended February 9. That's up 14% from the previous week, but the so-called NyLon route was down 35% compared to 2019. London-Los Angeles is still down 45%. London-Chicago and London-Miami are each down 33%. The hotel half full U.S. average nationwide hotel occupancy was 50.4% for the week ended February 5. Industry statisticians STR says it's the first time hotel occupancy was above 50% for the first time in more than a month.