COVID-19 variant disrupts holiday travel but not shopping
3 years ago

COVID-19 variant disrupts holiday travel but not shopping

Associated Press  

NEWARK, N.J. — The latest COVID-19 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. “This was unexpected,” United spokesperson Maddie King said of the variant’s effect on staffing. “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. “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.

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History of this topic

China travel bookings recover to pre-Covid levels, expects May Day holiday boom
1 year, 8 months ago

China travel bookings recover to pre-Covid levels, expects May Day holiday boom

Hindustan Times  

Travel bookings in China have recovered to pre-pandemic levels after being suppressed last year by zero-Covid policies and are set to boom for the upcoming May Day holiday, according to data from popular booking apps. China travel bookings recover to pre-Covid levels, expects May Day holiday boom By April 6, orders of domestic travel for the holiday had reached pre-Covid …

Small businesses brace for cautious holiday shoppers
2 years, 2 months ago

Small businesses brace for cautious holiday shoppers

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Small businesses are stocking the shelves early this holiday season and waiting to see how many gifts inflation-weary shoppers feel like giving. AlixPartners, the global consulting firm, forecasts that holiday sales will rise between 4% to 7%, far below last year’s growth of 16%. To prepare, owners say they’re ordering inventory earlier to avoid the supply-chain snags …

Covid-19 cases surge around world, raising testing and quarantine fears
3 years ago

Covid-19 cases surge around world, raising testing and quarantine fears

Live Mint  

Daily Covid-19 infections have hit record highs in the United States, swathes of Europe and Australia as the new Omicron variant of the virus races out of control, keeping workers at home and overwhelming testing centres. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his country needed "a gear change" to manage overburdened laboratories, with long walk-in and drive-in queues reported in …

Despite supply issues and omicron, holiday sales rise 8.5%
3 years ago

Despite supply issues and omicron, holiday sales rise 8.5%

Associated Press  

Holiday sales rose at the fastest pace in 17 years, even as shoppers grappled with higher prices, product shortages and a raging new COVID-19 variant in the last few weeks of the season, according to one spending measure. Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards, reported Sunday that holiday sales had risen 8.5% from …

Omicron complicates holiday travel plans across the US
3 years ago

Omicron complicates holiday travel plans across the US

Al Jazeera  

Long lines for testing and fears of the new coronavirus variant have undermined holiday travel plans for a second year. Americans are facing a second Christmas of upended holiday plans, with a surge in COVID-19 infections fueled by the now-dominant Omicron variant forcing some people to cancel their travel and fret about whether it is safe to visit loved ones. …

Omicron: Daily Covid-19 case numbers ‘could exceed previous peaks,’ CDC warns
3 years ago

Omicron: Daily Covid-19 case numbers ‘could exceed previous peaks,’ CDC warns

CNN  

CNN — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that the Omicron coronavirus variant could drive Covid-19 cases higher than ever before, according to modeling posted on the agency’s website this week. “Current increases in Omicron cases are likely to lead to a national surge in the coming weeks with peak daily numbers of new infections that could …

UK health boss: COVID-19 rules could tighten by Christmas
3 years ago

UK health boss: COVID-19 rules could tighten by Christmas

Associated Press  

LONDON — Britain’s health secretary has refused to rule out imposing tougher COVID-19 restrictions before Christmas amid the rapid rise of infections and continuing uncertainty about the omicron variant. The British Medical Association is warning that almost 50,000 doctors, nurses and other National Health Service staff in England could be off sick with Covid-19 by Christmas Day unless additional measures …

Should I change my holiday plans because of COVID-19 surge, Omicron? What experts say
3 years ago

Should I change my holiday plans because of COVID-19 surge, Omicron? What experts say

LA Times  

Nearly 100 boats participate in the opening day of the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade on Wednesday. “That superspreader event in Norway is like a perfect example of how you can disseminate COVID very quickly: You put a bunch of people together in a place that probably has poor ventilation because it’s winter time; you have them talking loudly at …

COVID-19 fears dash hopes for the holiday season — again
3 years ago

COVID-19 fears dash hopes for the holiday season — again

Associated Press  

Lines again stretch around blocks at some COVID-19 testing sites. The accelerating cancellations seem “to have thrown us back into that sort of zombie world of the first week of March of the pandemic last year,” said Jonathan Neame, the chief executive of Shepherd Neame, Britain’s oldest brewery and chain of pubs. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday …

Omicron Covid variant: Curbs from Japan to Spain wreak havoc on air travel
3 years, 1 month ago

Omicron Covid variant: Curbs from Japan to Spain wreak havoc on air travel

Hindustan Times  

Airlines, passengers and businesses had to respond to a deluge of travel restrictions introduced to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant. Omicron Covid variant: Curbs from Japan to Spain wreak havoc on air travel An initial spate of flight bans from southern Africa, where Omicron was first detected, gave way to wider-ranging measures that will make travel more …

Opinion: The airline recovery has been put on hold as Covid-19 strikes again
3 years, 3 months ago

Opinion: The airline recovery has been put on hold as Covid-19 strikes again

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Khalid Usman is a partner in Oliver Wyman’s transportation and services practice. There were moments in the spring and early summer when US airlines saw a chance for domestic leisure air traffic to recover to 2019 levels by the end of this year — and for a significant pickup in both business and international travel. And while children’s …

Shopping surges in May after pandemic restrictions ease
3 years, 7 months ago

Shopping surges in May after pandemic restrictions ease

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The latest BRC-KPMG retail sales monitor revealed that total …

Black Friday turns bleak as raging COVID-19 blunts European countries' efforts to revive consumption
4 years, 1 month ago

Black Friday turns bleak as raging COVID-19 blunts European countries' efforts to revive consumption

China Daily  

A street cleaner walks past a Topshop store in Liverpool, Britain, on Nov 27, 2020. LONDON -- As COVID-19 continues to ravage countries across Europe, concerns over infections and economic insecurity have largely dampened consumers' enthusiasm for Black Friday, dashing hopes of some European countries to revitalize the pandemic-laden economy with the traditional shopping spree. With roads flooded by crowds …

COVID-19 hospitalisations surge across the US, worrying officials
4 years, 1 month ago

COVID-19 hospitalisations surge across the US, worrying officials

Al Jazeera  

More than 90,000 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals across the United States, which continues to see rising infections. The number of COVID-19 patients being treated in hospitals across the United States reached 90,000 on Friday, Reuters News Agency reported, as people travelled to attend Thanksgiving holiday gatherings this week. The rate of hospitalisations is now at the highest since the …

Covid-19 Pandemic Impact to be Severe, Prolonged for Aviation, Hospitality, Retail Sectors: ICRA
4 years, 4 months ago

Covid-19 Pandemic Impact to be Severe, Prolonged for Aviation, Hospitality, Retail Sectors: ICRA

News 18  

The coronavirus pandemic will significantly impact performance of companies and it is likely to be severe and prolonged for select sectors, especially aviation, hospitality and retail, according to ratings agency ICRA. As per ICRA analysis, the impact is likely to be severe and prolonged for select sectors, especially aviation, hospitality, retail and allied businesses," it said. The ratings agency, however, …

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