Omicron sends all plans into a tailspin

It’s a déjà vu moment now. 2020 is back. In fact 2021 is the new 2020.

Lockdowns are being reimposed in several countries due to the Omicron variant; France has banned British tourists; parties and Christmas celebrations in Britain and some European nations are a no-no; there is a drive to ratchet up vaccinations, with penalties for the aberrant; travel has been grounded.

Nearly two years after the coronavirus reared its ugly but menacing head, the world is still shackled to the impact of the pandemic and its variants. Just when we thought the Delta had lost its sting, in walked the Omicron. The alphabets were Greek, but the effects were not Greek to the world.  

Concerns about Omicron were especially palpable in Britain, which reported record numbers of infections three days in a row this week, the latest on Friday with more than 93,000 cases tallied. Britain’s health minister Sajid Javid said he could not rule out new Covid curbs before Christmas.

This despite the fact that was talk of “lockdown by stealth” in which government officials recommend people cut back on socialising as much as possible without officially imposing the strict rules of past shutdowns.

In the United States, President Joe Biden’s administration resisted tightening any curbs, but also charted out dire scenarios for the unvaccinated.

“For the unvaccinated, you’re looking at a winter of severe illness and death, for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm,” White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients said.

Several European countries have already swung into action. Netherlands shuttered all food and entertainment venues as it went into a lockdown from Sunday. Streets wore a deserted look as the people’s Christmas celebrations took a tumble.

Denmark decided to close theatres, concert halls, amusement parks and museums in response to a rapid rise in virus cases. In Spain, friends and classmates cancelled traditional year-end dinners.

However, Germany said there would be no lockdown over Christmas, but warned a fifth Covid wave was very likely.

In the United States, White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci urged people travelling to visit loves ones to get booster shots and always wear masks in crowded public spaces.

He said Omicron was “raging through the world” and that travelling will increase the risk of infection even among vaccinated people.

Omicron, a very contagious variant first detected last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong, has raced around the globe and been reported in 89 countries.

Overall COVID infections are rising in 64 out of 240 countries. In Italy, the government is considering new measures to avoid a surge in infections during the holiday period.

Travel and tourism has been badly dented just when things seemed to be looking up. Ryanair originally expected to carry about 11 million passengers in December, but that figure dropped to 10 million. Europe’s biggest airline will also cut about 10% of its capacity in January.

Amanda Wheelock, 29, a graduate student at the University of Michigan, cancelled a trip to France with her partner as cases spiked there. Even though the surge isn’t necessarily due to Omicron, the uncertainty about the new variant, and a new requirement that all US travellers have to test negative before flying back to the US, made her worry that the trip would be more stressful than fun.

Celebrity chef Michel Roux and other restaurateurs have invested heavily to remake their venues to address safety concerns – and hoped to reap some of the benefits.

To return to a state of huge uncertainty for the second Christmas running is “like a kick in the stomach,” said Roux, who has a destination restaurant in London.