Jonathan Allen and Maria Caspani

(Reuters.) Thousands of Americans plan holiday trips that will include crossing-country flights and visiting tourist sites. But, due to the Omicron-fueled surge in COVID-19, many are forced to modify their plans.

Debbie Rodriguez explained that she had thought long and hard about cancelling the family’s New York City Christmas trip, before finally deciding to go to Houston on Thursday.

Rodriguez (48), said that she and her two children had just made a decision not to be afraid as they waited at New York’s LaGuardia Airport for their luggage.

Rodriguez claimed that Rodriguez’s fully-vaccinated family was planning to go to Rockettes Christmas before it was cancelled because of the COVID epidemic. So they are instead going to Central Park and the Statue of Liberty.

They will eat indoors in Harlem, where they won’t be disturbed by the noise, and visit the Empire State Building on Christmas Day.

Omicron has been responsible for an increase in COVID-19 cases in the United States. It was detected first in November.

While Americans scramble for COVID-19 tests https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-testing-struggles-keep-up-with-omicron-2021-12-22 and weigh varying public health guidance about how to gather safely for a second Christmas marked by the pandemic, many showed they were willing to brave the latest surge in order to enjoy holiday traditions such as worshipping and eating out.

On Wednesday, the Transportation Security Administration screened 2812,000 passengers at the country’s airports. This is 144,000 more than the pre-pandemic screenings.

According to Joseph Zwilling, communication director, Christmas services in person will take place at all parishes and churches of the Archdiocese of New York. This archdiocese includes over 2.5 million Roman Catholics from 10 different counties.

Omicron will not cause any new restrictions, however Zwilling stated that the Archdiocese will continue to enforce social distancing and mask-wearing as it did last year. He said that the existing measures had been effective.

Chef Eric Ziebold, owner of Kinship, and Metier, two Michelin-starred Washington, D.C. restaurants, have fully booked and there is a waitlist for New Years Eve and Christmas Eve. According to Ziebold, while the Christmas Eve order volume has increased, New Year’s orders will likely be lower.

He stated that guests want to complete one holiday and then focus on the next.

ALTERED PLANS

In the last seven days, the average number of new COVID cases has risen 37% to 165,000 per day, according to a Reuters tally https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/united-states. The national average for deaths and hospitalizations is relatively stable, although they can sometimes be slow indicators.

So far, December has seen a 96% increase in cases. Deaths are up 55% while hospitalizations increased 28%.

According to Reuters, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York all broke one-day records this week for new cases.

U.S. health authorities have advised that those who are completely vaccinated can travel to holiday destinations and attend family functions. The officials warned that those not vaccinated run a greater risk of becoming seriously ill with the virus or even dying.

After describing his new steps in combating the virus earlier in this week, President Joe Biden stated that “We all should be concerned about Omicron but not panicked.”

In Manhattan’s Bryant Park on Thursday, bundled-up skaters circled the outdoor ice rink with views of the Empire State Building as carols and Christmas pop songs boomed from loudspeakers.

At the rink’s edge, Reneé Rosenthal, a 51-year-old merchandising representative for Hallmark greetings cards, embraced a friend she has known since elementary school in New Jersey.

Rosenthal stated that she booked the 5-day trip together with her husband, and their two teenaged kids from Houston. It was during the summer when things seemed to be returning to normal.

They had tickets for “The Nutcracker” at Lincoln Center, but the performance was canceled after too many dancers tested positive for COVID. The tickets included admission to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. However, they decided to abandon the idea after seeing the line of people waiting to prove their vaccination.

Their plans changed to include a horse drawn carriage ride through Central Park, and a sightseeing trip on an open top double-decker bus.

However, the skating and reunion with an old friend worked well.

“This is the only thing we had planned that we didn’t have to change,” Rosenthal said.