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Omicron variant disrupts holiday travel but not shopping

Omicron variant disrupts holiday travel but not shopping
DEDHAM WHERE MANY SHOPPERS ARE KEEPING THIN CGSLOSE TO HO.ME I’M SURE THEY HAVE A LOOK OF PANIC ON THEIR FACE. JOSH: NOT TOTAL PANIC. THEY HAVE A COUPLE OF HOU.RS THE STREETS WERE JAMMED UP AND IT IS BUSY TODAY AS PEOPLE TRY TO FIND THAT FALIN GIFT IN PLACESOT BH BIG AND SMALL. >> IS THIS -- ARE YOU QUAFILIED AS A LAST-MINUTE SHOPPER OR IS THAT NOT YOU? >> O GOD, YES. >> THE ANNUAL RUSH TO FIND THAT LAST GIFT FOUND MARCY WANZER THIN KING SMALL, WALKING THROUGH THE WELCOMING DOORS OF BOSNTO GENERAL STORE IN DEDHAM SQUARE. A LITTLE OPERATION WITH A CLASSIC FEEL, THEY RELY ON FOOT TRAFFIC TO MAKE IT. MARCY: I WAY PREFER TO USE SMALL BUSINESSES AND SHOP IN PERSON. I DON’T LIKE SHOPPING ONLINE. MI CHELLE: THINGS HAVE DEFINITELY SHIFTED TO MORE ONLINE. JOSH: THOUGH CREATIVE DIRECTOR MICHELLE COATE SAYS LIONNE SALES ARSTTED MUCH SLOWER THIS YEAR THAN LAST YEAR. DOWN THE STREET AT INDEPENDENT, FAMILY OWNED BLUE BUNNY BOOKS AND TOYS, THERE ARE ALSOISTS L TO BE CHECKED OFF. WE WERE HERE A YEAR AGO, DURING THE FIRST CHRISTMAS OFHE T PANDEMIC AS OWNER AND ORTH PETER H.E RYNOLDS WAS NAVIGATING THE NEWNESS OF DOING BUSINESS IN A TIME OF CHANGE. AND ONE YEAR LATER. PETER: 2021 WAS DEFINITELY A BETTER YEAR. WE CAUGHT OUR BREATH, WE UNDERSTOOD WHAT COVID WAANS HOW TO DEAL WITH IT. WE HAVE OUR CUSTOMERS BACK. JOSH: ONLINE SALES HAVE BEEN STRONG, AND DESPITE COVID’S CONSTANT RISE, SHOPPERS HAVE RETURNED TO STORES. MARCY: WELL I’VE DONWHE AT I NEEDED TO DO. I HAVE 3 SHOTS, I’M BOOSD.TE FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES AND RECOMMENDATIONS AND BEING SMART AND SAFE, I FEEL FINE BEING OUT. JO: NOT EVERYWHERE IS OPEN
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Omicron variant disrupts holiday travel but not shopping
The latest coronavirus variant is upending holiday plans for tens of thousands of travelers — but it didn’t do much damage to holiday shopping.Airlines canceled hundreds more flights Sunday, citing staffing problems tied to COVID-19, as the nation's travel woes extended beyond Christmas, with no clear indication when normal schedules would resume.Video above: Last-minute Christmas shopping in full force But shoppers shrugged off the omicron variant, and holiday sales rose at the fastest pace in 17 years.Omicron is likely to slow the economy’s unexpectedly strong rebound from last year’s coronavirus recession, disrupting travel and likely discouraging some consumers from venturing out to shops, restaurants and bars. The variant could also add more heat to already simmering inflation by forcing shutdowns of factories and ports, delaying shipments and driving up prices.But it’s not yet clear how deep the hurt will go or how long it will last.For now, the variant is playing havoc with travel. More than 700 flights entering, leaving or flying within the U.S. were called off, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. That figure was down from nearly 1,000 on Saturday. More than 50 flights were already canceled for Monday.Delta, United and JetBlue have blamed the omicron variant of the coronavirus for staffing shortages that forced cancellations.“This was unexpected,” United spokesperson Maddie King said of omicron’s impact on staffing.Globally, airlines scrapped about 2,200 flights as of Sunday morning, down from more than 2,800 from the day before, FlightAware’s data showed. The site does not say why flights are canceled.JetBlue scrapped 10% of its flights Sunday. Delta canceled 5% and United canceled 4%, according to FlightAware. The three airlines canceled more than 10% of their scheduled flights on Saturday.American Airlines spokesperson Derek Walls said the Christmas cancellations stemmed from virus-related sick calls.Despite omicron, American consumers appeared undaunted. Mastercard Spending Pulse, which tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards, reported Sunday that holiday sales had risen 8.5% from a year earlier, the biggest annual gain in 17 years. Mastercard SpendingPulse had expected a 7.4% increase.The results, which covered Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, were fueled by purchases of clothing and jewelry. Holiday sales were up 10.7% compared with the pre-pandemic 2019 holiday period.After omicron hit, some consumers shifted their spending to e-commerce, but sales stayed strong.“I feel really good about how the season played out,’’ said Steve Sadove, senior adviser to Mastercard and former CEO of Saks Inc. “When people feel a little bit uncomfortable, you’ll see a little bit of a pickup in online and a little bit of a slowdown in store performance.’’Sadove said consumers are “learning to live'' with what COVID-19 throws at them.Also Sunday, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor acknowledged that he was frustrated with the limited supply of COVID-19 tests.Demand for tests has risen amid the surge fueled by the omicron variant. “We’ve obviously got to do better,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said an interview that aired Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”“I think things will improve greatly as we get into January, but that doesn’t help us today and tomorrow,” Fauci said.Fauci said he was pleased with evidence that omicron causes less severe illness for most people. But he warned against complacency because the rapid spread of the disease could “override a real diminution in severity,” because so many more people could get infected.Meanwhile in Europe, France recorded more than 100,000 virus infections in a single day for the first time in the pandemic. COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled over the past month as omicron complicates the French government’s efforts to stave off a new lockdown.More than 1 in 100 people in the Paris region have tested positive in the past week, according to the regional health service. Most new infections are linked to omicron, which government experts predict will be dominant in France in the coming days. Omicron is already dominant in Britain, right across the English Channel.France's overall death toll stands at more than 122,000.President Emmanuel Macron’s government planned emergency meetings for Monday to discuss the next steps. Some scientists and educators have urged delaying the post-holiday return to school or suggested re-imposing a curfew.

The latest coronavirus variant is upending holiday plans for tens of thousands of travelers — but it didn’t do much damage to holiday shopping.

Airlines canceled hundreds more flights Sunday, citing staffing problems tied to COVID-19, as the nation's travel woes extended beyond Christmas, with no clear indication when normal schedules would resume.

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Video above: Last-minute Christmas shopping in full force

But shoppers shrugged off the omicron variant, and holiday sales rose at the fastest pace in 17 years.

Omicron is likely to slow the economy’s unexpectedly strong rebound from last year’s coronavirus recession, disrupting travel and likely discouraging some consumers from venturing out to shops, restaurants and bars. The variant could also add more heat to already simmering inflation by forcing shutdowns of factories and ports, delaying shipments and driving up prices.

But it’s not yet clear how deep the hurt will go or how long it will last.

For now, the variant is playing havoc with travel. More than 700 flights entering, leaving or flying within the U.S. were called off, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. That figure was down from nearly 1,000 on . More than 50 flights were already canceled for Monday.

Delta, United and JetBlue have blamed the omicron variant of the coronavirus for staffing shortages that forced cancellations.

“This was unexpected,” United spokesperson Maddie King said of omicron’s impact on staffing.

Globally, airlines scrapped about 2,200 flights as of Sunday morning, down from more than 2,800 from the day before, FlightAware’s data showed. The site does not say why flights are canceled.

JetBlue scrapped 10% of its flights Sunday. Delta canceled 5% and United canceled 4%, according to FlightAware. The three airlines canceled more than 10% of their scheduled flights on Saturday.

American Airlines spokesperson Derek Walls said the Christmas cancellations stemmed from virus-related sick calls.

Despite omicron, American consumers appeared undaunted. Mastercard Spending Pulse, which tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards, reported Sunday that holiday sales had risen 8.5% from a year earlier, the biggest annual gain in 17 years. Mastercard SpendingPulse had expected a 7.4% increase.

The results, which covered Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, were fueled by purchases of clothing and jewelry. Holiday sales were up 10.7% compared with the pre-pandemic 2019 holiday period.

After omicron hit, some consumers shifted their spending to e-commerce, but sales stayed strong.

“I feel really good about how the season played out,’’ said Steve Sadove, senior adviser to Mastercard and former CEO of Saks Inc. “When people feel a little bit uncomfortable, you’ll see a little bit of a pickup in online and a little bit of a slowdown in store performance.’’

Sadove said consumers are “learning to live'' with what COVID-19 throws at them.

Also Sunday, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor acknowledged that he was frustrated with the limited supply of COVID-19 tests.

Demand for tests has risen amid the surge fueled by the omicron variant. “We’ve obviously got to do better,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said an interview that aired Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”

“I think things will improve greatly as we get into January, but that doesn’t help us today and tomorrow,” Fauci said.

Fauci said he was pleased with evidence that omicron causes less severe illness for most people. But he warned against complacency because the rapid spread of the disease could “override a real diminution in severity,” because so many more people could get infected.

Meanwhile in Europe, France recorded more than 100,000 virus infections in a single day for the first time in the pandemic. COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled over the past month as omicron complicates the French government’s efforts to stave off a new lockdown.

More than 1 in 100 people in the Paris region have tested positive in the past week, according to the regional health service. Most new infections are linked to omicron, which government experts predict will be dominant in France in the coming days. Omicron is already dominant in Britain, right across the English Channel.

France's overall death toll stands at more than 122,000.

President Emmanuel Macron’s government planned emergency meetings for Monday to discuss the next steps. Some scientists and educators have urged delaying the post-holiday return to school or suggested re-imposing a curfew.