Coronavirus Special Report
Year Three: Feb. 26-Mar. 4, 2022
Year Three: Feb. 26-Mar. 4, 2022
Read all about Covid! U.S. Coronavirus deaths pass 956,000 while the national vaccination rate remains below 66%. Hotels are charging us lots more while they offer us much less. Hawaii will drop entry tests and proof-of-vaccination rules before the end of the month and Bali ends mandatory quarantines on March 14. Philadelphia and Boston drop indoor mask mandates and New York City will end its proof-of-vaccine rules. Bad drivers were creating havoc on the nation's roads during the height of the pandemic. U.S. airline traffic during the last weekend of February reached 90% of 2020 volume. U.S. carriers operated 78% of pre-pandemic schedules in 2021. And more.
Coronavirus Update: Friday, March 4, 2022
Barely a year after mass vaccinations began, the United States is awash in excess capacity because a huge swath of the American people refuse to get vaxxed. The Associated Press has details. Here are today's other developments:
The weekend begins The TSA says that 2,038,115 people passed through security checkpoints at U.S. airports yesterday. That is 84.8% of volume on a similar day in 2019. Pay more, get lots less The average nightly rate at U.S. hotels for the week ended February 26 was 13.1% above 2019 levels during a similar week. More importantly, the industry revenue per available room, a key indicator of profitability, was 7.7% above 2019 levels, according to industry statistician STR. That means hotels are charging us more and earning more profit on every room they sell even as they cut services like breakfast, spas, pools and restaurants. A fine mess The ritzy Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, has been ordered to pay nearly $3.3 million in fines for failing to first offer jobs to workers who had been laid off during the pandemic. The Los Angeles Times has details. Berlin business Slightly more than 5.1 million tourists visited Berlin in 2021. That is nearly 60% below 2019 levels. Universal unmasked Universal Studios Hollywood no longer requires guests visiting the theme park to wear masks or show proof of vaccinations. The policy change is effective starting today.Coronavirus Update: Thursday, March 3, 2022
If you hope to understand how the Coronavirus crisis and the Ukraine invasion overlap, consider: Lufthansa said today that it plans to fly 85% of its 2019 capacity this summer. Good news, right? But every silver lining has a dark cloud: The carrier--which also controls Austrian, Swiss and Brussels airlines--has no idea how Ukraine fallout will impact its capacity plans or passenger demand. Here are today's other developments: March mush The TSA says that 1,738,406 people passed through security checkpoints at U.S. airports yesterday. That is 81.1% of volume on a similar day in 2019, even lower than Tuesday, which was the slowest day for passenger volume at the airport since February 15. Cradles of liberty Philadelphia and Boston are independently ending their mask mandates. On Saturday, Bostonians will not be required to wear masks when inside public spaces such as gyms, bars, restaurants, museums and entertainment venues. Masks will still be required on public transport, however. Meanwhile, starting immediately, Philadelphians no longer need masks in indoor settings. Like Boston, however, masks will still be required on public transportation. Bali, hi The resort island of Bali ends mandatory quarantines on March 14 and the rest of Indonesia is due to follow by April 1. Testing and proof of vaccination will still be required, however. ExecutiveTraveller.com has details. Austria's out Austria says that it will end all domestic Coronavirus restrictions on Saturday. Masks must still be worn on public transportation, however. SchengenVisaInfo.com has details.Coronavirus Update: Wednesday, March 2, 2022
During last night's State of the Union address, President Biden said everyone could receive another set of free antigen tests at CovidTests.gov. A second set of four tests will be available starting next week. Here are today's other developments: In like a lamb The TSA says that 1,635,546 people passed through security checkpoints at U.S. airports yesterday. That is 82.6% of volume on a similar day in 2019. The TSA says it is also the slowest day at the airport since February 15. Aloha, finally Beginning March 26, domestic travelers entering Hawaii will no longer need to quarantine, show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test result. The state's indoor mask mandate will remain in place, however. New Zealand nasty Fed up with rowdy, nasty protestors clogging a key downtown area of the capital of Wellington, New Zealand authorities cleared out the anti-vax camps. Faced with the police presence, protestors burned their own outpost. Agence France-Presse has details. Not so sexy The pandemic may have contributed to a drop in birth rates at the beginning of 2021, according to a new report released by the CDC. TheHill.com has details.Coronavirus Update: Tuesday, March 1, 2022
President Biden will offer his State of the Union address tonight on the day U.S. Coronavirus deaths passed 950,000. Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the focus of the speech was likely to have been about Covid and the economy. Now, not so much. Here are today's other developments: Out like a lion The TSA says that 1,979,422 people passed through security checkpoints at U.S. airports yesterday, the last day of February. That is 87.7% of volume on a similar day in 2019 after generating 90% of pre-pandemic traffic over the weekend. A piece of the pie The U.S. Transportation Department says scheduled carriers operated 6.2 million flights in 2021. That is about 78% of traffic in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic. Pacific unmasked California, Oregon and Washington jointly announced yesterday that the states would lift their respective school mask mandates after March 11. TheHill.com has details. Hard times in Hong Kong The domestic workers in Hong Kong--most from the Philippines--never had it easy in the city-state. Covid has only made conditions worse, much worse. Agence France-Presse has details. The long and winding road The strange condition now called "long Covid" is beginning to come into focus and the details are distressing. The Washington Post has details.Coronavirus Update: Monday, February 28, 2022
"The country’s declining Coronavirus case rates present an unrealistically optimistic perspective for half the nation--the half that is still not vaccinated," according to The Washington Post. Here are today's other developments: Impressive Nearly 6.1 million people passed through TSA security checkpoints at U.S. airports over the weekend (Friday-Sunday). That's 90% of 2020 volume during a similar February period, which was essentially the last pandemic-free weekend before the metaphoric ceiling collapsed. Finally falling fast There were 461,986 new Coronavirus cases in the United States during the last week, according to Johns Hopkins. That's down about a third from the previous week and less than a fifth of more than 2 million cases just three weeks ago. The death toll also fell sharply to 12,288. A week to go New York City will eliminate its school mask mandate and the proof-of-vaccine requirement for restaurants, gyms and movie theaters. The changes are effective on March 7, according to Mayor Eric Adams. Driving the chaos Bad drivers were apparently the only people on the road during the height of the pandemic. It's the only real explanation for why accident and death statistics were so high even though automobile traffic plunged. The Washington Post has details. To market, to market Studies released in recent days insist statistics prove that the Covid-19 virus originated at a Wuhan market, not the city's disease laboratory. The New York Times has details.Coronavirus Update: Weekend, Feb. 26-27, 2022
Berkshire Hathaway, the investment vehicle aligned with chief executive Warren Buffett, says that its annual meeting will be held in person in April. The twist: The so-called Woodstock for Capitalists, which drew thousands of investors before the pandemic, will require attendees show proof of vaccine. Here are this weekend's other developments. The 70% solution New CDC guidance for indoor mask usage means that 70% of the nation's population need not wear them. NBC News has details. Korean chaos South Korea managed the first two years of the pandemic far better than most countries. But now cases are exploding and the system is overloaded. The nation has also recorded its deadliest day of the entire pandemic. The New York Times has details. Supply and demand Nearly half of the 500 million free Covid tests the Biden Administration made available still have not been claimed. The Associated Press has details. The Irish angle A seven-month-old hotel near Dublin Airport has closed due to lack of paying customers. The 421-room Holiday Inn will be converted to an asylum center. The Irish Times has details.