Rich McKay and Julia Harte

(Reuters) – Americans face a second Christmas with a rash of COVID-19 infection. This is due to the Omicron variant, which has caused a severe increase in COVID-19. Some people are cancelling their holiday plans and worrying about safety.

Carmen Rivera was married to Jasmine Maisonet, but they had to cancel their plans to go to Puerto Rico to visit relatives. Maisonet got infected while working at a company and she tested positive for COVID-19.

Rivera is a Renton city councilor who was elected in Washington. She has not seen her Puerto Rican family since the outbreak. Rivera expressed concern about the infected latest COVID-19 wave, which has infected even people who were vaccinated.

Rivera stated, “We believed we were safe. We were washing our hands and sanitizing.

Omicron infections have risen rapidly since last month, accounting for 73% US cases. This has created new confusion around holiday travel. Numerous Americans have rushed to COVID-19 testing centers or scrambled for at-home Omicron tests to confirm a positive test before they travel to visit their families.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden stated that while vaccinated persons should be aware of the Omicron wave and take precautions to ensure they are safe. However, it is important for them to enjoy the holiday season with their families.

Biden stated, “You can be sure you did the right thing.” Enjoy the holiday season.

He stated that those who have not been vaccinated are more likely to die from the virus than others and recommended they get it.

Biden is a popular figure in the travel industry. They are betting that Americans who have been vaccinated will follow his advice. They also maintain a positive outlook for this holiday season thanks to the rebound in U.S. tourism over Thanksgiving.

According to AAA’s statement, the American Automobile Association predicts that between December 23 and January 2, 109 millions Americans will travel on roads, fly or take a plane more than 50 miles. This is a 34% increase over 2020.

Ellen Edmonds from AAA said however that the AAA spokesperson stated that this estimate was made prior to Dec. 14. The spike in cases since could lead to cancellations.

From Dec. 16 to December 20, the Transportation Security Administration processed more than 2,000,000 passengers daily through its airports. This is almost twice the amount of travelers who passed through these airports in 2020, and nearly as many as it did in 2019. According to the agency, it anticipates screening 30 million passengers between Monday and January 3.

Eric Hrubant is the owner of CIRE Travel, a New York City travel agency. He said that business has not dropped like it did at the peak of the pandemic. He said he was still working with his clients to give them information to help them make an informed decision about traveling.

Hrubant claimed that he had hoped to keep 10 of his employees on the payroll. This he did through August, despite the flood of Delta variant cases. Hrubant’s first reaction to hearing about the Omicron variant’s rapid spread was “Oh dear God! I cannot go through it again!”

Lori Eves, a Long Island insurance broker, considered Omicron a risk but refused to allow it to ruin her Paris trip with her mother. They had almost the entire Palace of Versailles to themselves on Friday last week.

“I’m not really worried,” Eves, 42, said as she took a tour of the palace outside the French capital. “We’re both vaccinated and boosted and we just, you know, we felt safe.”

Is it worth it?

A few more days are left until Christmas, so some Americans will wait to see if they can make their plans.

Morgan Johnson is a middle school teacher at 28 years old in Washington DC. She will be spending this week in Chicago with her parents. The family is taking COVID at-home tests in order to decide if the children will be able to drive to Johnson’s grandparents near Minneapolis on Christmas Day.

Johnson stated that Johnson’s grandparents, who are now in their 80s and have been vaccinated, want Johnson to take Johnson’s family along. Johnson said that her parents and she are all vaccinated. However, they worry about spreading the virus to an elderly couple.

“You would never forgive yourself for getting your grandparents sick,” Johnson said.

It is also a concern for her that she might not be able to return to Washington to start school in January, if she had to stay put.

It forces you to think about whether it is worth the effort. She said.

Elizabeth Crutchley and her family decided that it was too dangerous to travel. Although the 51-year old was due to bring her daughter and her son-inlaw from Hawaii to Maryland, their fears of infecting others is keeping them at home.

Crutchley lives with her mother and husband. She said that she was more cautious as her whole household contracted COVID-19 last September, despite having been fully vaccinated.

Crutchley will host her holiday party over Zoom, instead of hosting the traditional Christmas dinner at a family member’s home, where she is surrounded by her kids and grandchildren.

She said, “As long we can both see the faces of each other and can laugh, everything will be fine.”