While some countries in Asia imposed restrictions in an attempt to contain the highly contagious variant of omicron, governments in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere preached common sense, despite reporting daily records this week, advising their citizens to use masks and the Voluntarily limit the size of holiday gatherings.
Some families expected empty chairs at the dining tables this holiday after airlines around the world canceled hundreds of flights as the Omicron variant messed up flight schedules and reduced staffing levels.
More than 3,900 flights scheduled for Friday and Saturday have been canceled, with nearly half affecting Chinese airlines, according to FlightAware. About 30% of the flights affected – more than 1,100 – were to, from, or within the United States.
In a reception center for asylum seekers on the Mediterranean island state of Cyprus, Catholic Patricia Etoh from Cameroon said she had no special plans because it just didn’t feel like Christmas without her 6-year-old child she had to leave behind.
But she added, “We are grateful, we live, and when we live there is hope.”
In Fiji, many members of the deeply religious country celebrate Christmas at traditional church services and family celebrations. The Pacific Island has an ongoing outbreak and pandemic death toll of nearly 700, but 92% of the adult population is fully vaccinated.
