Live updates: 2,300 US flights canceled due to storms, virus

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PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island — Wintry upwind combined with the pandemic to frustrate aerial travelers whose instrumentality flights location from the holidays were canceled oregon delayed successful the archetypal days of the caller year.

By aboriginal day Sunday connected the East Coast, much than 2,300 U.S. flights and much than 3,900 worldwide had been canceled, according to tracking work FlightAware.

That followed Saturday’s wide cancelations of much than 2,700 U.S. flights, and much than 4,700 worldwide. Saturday’s single-day U.S. toll was the highest since conscionable earlier Christmas, erstwhile airlines began blaming staffing shortages connected expanding COVID-19 infections among crews.

A wintertime tempest that deed the Midwest connected Saturday made Chicago the worst spot successful the state for travelers passim the play arsenic the region’s airports continued to retrieve Sunday morning. About a 4th of each flights astatine O’Hare Airport were canceled Sunday.

American Airlines said astir of Sunday’s canceled flights had been canceled up of clip to debar last-minute disruptions astatine the airport.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC:

— Fauci says CDC whitethorn adhd trial request for infected radical ending isolation

— No extremity successful show for wide formation cancelations owed to US storms, pandemic

— UK makes contingency plans successful lawsuit omicron leads to large unit shortages successful hospitals, schools

— National Basketball Association calls up insignificant league referees to support games going

— Dozens of US colleges and universities accommodate to microorganism surge by returning to online classes

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Follow AP’s pandemic sum astatine https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING TODAY:

WASHINGTON — As the omicron variant surges crossed the United States, apical national wellness officials are looking to adhd a antagonistic trial on with its five-day isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who drawback the coronavirus, the White House’s apical aesculapian advisor said Sunday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is present considering including the antagonistic trial arsenic portion of its guidance aft getting important “pushback” connected its updated recommendations past week.

Under that Dec. 27 guidance, isolation restrictions for radical infected with COVID-19 were shortened from 10 days to 5 days if they are nary longer feeling symptoms oregon moving a fever. After that period, they are asked to walk the pursuing 5 days wearing a disguise erstwhile astir others.

The guidelines person since received disapproval from galore wellness professionals for not specifying a antagonistic antigen trial arsenic a request for leaving isolation.

“There has been immoderate interest astir wherefore we don’t inquire radical astatine that five-day play to get tested,” Fauci said. “Looking astatine it again, determination whitethorn beryllium an enactment successful that, that investigating could beryllium a portion of that. And I deliberation we’re going to beryllium proceeding much astir that successful the adjacent time oregon truthful from the CDC.”

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JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minster Naftali Bennett says authorities person decided to grow the country’s 2nd booster run to radical implicit the property of 60 arsenic it copes with the omicron variant.

Israel past week approved the booster for a constricted colonisation of radical with underlying illnesses.

Speaking connected nationalist TV, Bennett said Sunday that giving older Israelis an further booster changeable -- their 4th vaccination wide -- volition supply a “new layer” of protection.

Earlier Sunday, Bennett warned that Israel volition soon spot tens of thousands of cases a time arsenic the variant continues to spread. Bennett spoke astatine the commencement of the play Cabinet gathering successful Jerusalem. He said contempt rolling retired much than 4.2 cardinal coronavirus booster shots to the country’s colonisation of 9.3 cardinal since July, “the tempest is coming to america these precise days.”

Daily cases successful Israel person riom astir 700 to the much than 4,000 reported connected Sunday.

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PARIS — Despite a surge successful coronvirus infections successful France, Health Minister Olivier Veran struck an optimistic cord connected Sunday, saying that “the 5th question of COVID-19 is possibly the last” successful what for galore astir the satellite has go an endless pandemic.

President Emmanuel Macron's governmen insists that getting arsenic galore radical vaccinated – and boosted — arsenic imaginable is the champion mode to incorporate fast-spreading omicron variant, Veran the play Le Journal Au Dimanche. It’s besides the lone mode to debar caller lockdowns, harm to the country’s economical betterment and the unit connected already overburdened hospitals, helium added.

France has vaccinated 77% of its colonisation and is rushing retired booster shots to combat omicron. But much than 4 cardinal adults stay unvaccinated, including much than 1 cardinal radical implicit property 65.

And for them, nationalist beingness volition beryllium severely restricted arsenic the authorities rushes retired vaccine passes.

Unvaccinated radical who declaration the microorganism volition beryllium “watched and punished,” Veran said. They volition person to self-isolate for 10 days and for 7 days if they were successful interaction with an infected person. For infected and inoculated residents, the quarantine has been reduced to 7 days and further to 5 with a antagonistic test. Starting Monday, those vaccinated and successful interaction with an infected idiosyncratic volition not person to quarantine astatine all, Veran said.

Authorities registered 58,432 caller cases connected Sunday, a fig good beneath the past 4 days erstwhile infections soared implicit 200,000.

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PARIS — Soccer large Lionel Messi is isolating astatine location successful Argentina.

Messi was among 4 Paris Saint-Germain players investigating affirmative for the coronavirus up of the team’s French Cup crippled astatine Vannes connected Monday nighttime arsenic it returns to enactment aft the wintertime break.

PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino is uncertain erstwhile the seven-time Ballon d’Or victor volition beryllium capable to instrumentality to France, oregon whether Messi tin retrieve successful clip to play distant to Lyon successful the French league adjacent Sunday.

Pochettino says Messi “tested affirmative successful Argentina (and) until he’s negative, helium won’t beryllium capable to question to France. We’ll spot erstwhile helium gets back.”

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LONDON — The U.K. authorities has been making contingency plans successful lawsuit hospitals, schools and different workplaces are deed by large unit shortages amid the country’s record-breaking spike successful coronavirus infections.

Public assemblage workplaces person been preparing for unit absences ranging from 10% to 25% arsenic COVID-19 sickens much radical oregon forces them to isolate, the Cabinet Office said.

The highly transmissible omicron variant has caused Britain’s regular caller caseload to soar implicit Christmas and the New Year, with a caller regular precocious of 189,000 connected Dec. 31. About 1 successful 25 radical successful England — oregon astir 2 cardinal radical — had COVID-19 successful the week earlier Christmas, the Office of National Statistics estimated. In London, the fig was 1 successful 15.

Cabinet Office Minister Stephen Barclay said determination had already been “significant” absences and the authorities was preparing for “every eventuality." He cited accrued enactment for microorganism investigating successful schools and warehouses, and possibly amended ventilation, arsenic an illustration of however to forestall disruptions.

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LONDON — Secondary schoolhouse students successful England volition beryllium required to deterioration look masks erstwhile they instrumentality to classes aft the Christmas holidays.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said Sunday the determination was an effort to “minimize disruption” successful schools arsenic the highly transmissible omicron variant drives coronavirus infections successful the U.K. to grounds levels.

Similar guidance connected masks for students ages 11 and supra was already successful spot for schools successful Scotland and Wales.

Students and teachers are acceptable to instrumentality to classrooms connected Tuesday aft much than 2 weeks off, during which Britain’s regular caseload has climbed arsenic precocious arsenic 189,000 connected Dec. 31.

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SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgarian wellness authorities person identified the country’s archetypal cases of the highly transmissible omicron variant.

Twelve radical were recovered to person the variant, the country’s main wellness inspector Angel Kunchev said Sunday. He warned that the caller variant tin beryllium expected to dispersed faster and soon go dominant.

All but 1 of the cases are from the superior Sofia and each of them person mild symptoms, Kunchev said adding that nary 1 needs hospitalization. Seven of the radical were not vaccinated, portion the different 5 are afloat vaccinated.

Bulgaria is the slightest vaccinated state successful the 27-member European Union arsenic conscionable one-third of the colonisation has been afloat vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Balkan state of 7 cardinal has reported a full of 748,184 cases, including 30,983 fatalities. Authorities connected Sunday reported 1,076 confirmed caller cases of coronavirus and 28 deaths.

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PARIS — Unvaccinated radical traveling from the United States volition person to self-isolate successful France for 10 days nether supervision from section authorities successful enactment with caller authorities restrictions Sunday.

All passengers from the U.S. person to supply a antagonistic COVID-19 trial – a PCR oregon an antigen trial – nary older than 48 hours successful summation to impervious of vaccination earlier boarding a formation to France.

Unvaccinated travelers from the U.S. antecedently were required to self-quarantine without supervision for 7 days.

New COVID-19 cases successful France person surpassed 200,000 for 4 consecutive days, fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant.

French authorities besides are stepping up unit connected unvaccinated residents. The authorities is pushing parliament to walk a instrumentality successful the adjacent 2 weeks that would let lone vaccinated residents to participate restaurants, cinemas, theaters, museums, and sports arenas.

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AMSTERDAM — Thousands of radical defied a prohibition connected gatherings to assemble connected an Amsterdam quadrate for a objection against the Dutch government’s coronavirus lockdown measures.

The municipality of the Dutch superior had outlawed the protest, saying constabulary had indications immoderate demonstrators could beryllium attending “prepared for violence.”

But thousands of radical made their mode to the quadrate connected Sunday, with immoderate unfurling a banner that read, “less repression, much care” adjacent the Van Gogh Museum. A radical of radical successful achromatic overalls and achromatic masks held up signs, including 1 that said: “It’s not astir a virus, it’s astir control” connected 1 broadside and “Freedom.” connected the other.

There was a dense constabulary beingness connected the quadrate and successful adjacent streets. The municipality designated the country a information hazard region, a determination that gave constabulary powers to preventatively frisk people.

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NEW DELHI — India has reported implicit 27,000 caller COVID-19 cases, information from the Health Ministry showed amid increasing concerns of a imaginable caller surge stoked by the highly contagious omicron variant.

Sunday's confirmed cases represented the highest regular number since October. The state besides reported 284 deaths, bringing India's full decease toll successful the pandemic to implicit 481,000 people.

The state present has much than 1,500 confirmed omicron cases, with the highest fig successful the occidental authorities of Maharashtra. India plans to commencement vaccinating children betwixt 15 and 18 connected Monday.

Various states person brought successful a slew of restrictions to curb cases, including nightime curfews, restricted seating astatine bars and restaurants, and bans connected ample nationalist gatherings.

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ATLANTA — Another 1 of Georgia’s largest schoolhouse districts has decided to commencement 2022 classes virtually due to the fact that of precocious numbers of COVID-19 cases.

Atlanta Public Schools announced students volition beryllium virtual erstwhile classes commencement backmost aft wintertime interruption connected Tuesday.

The territory is besides asking each teachers and different unit to study to their jobs for mandatory COVID-19 investigating unless they are sick and volition usage that accusation for planning, the territory said successful a statement.

Currently, Atlanta schools program to instrumentality to regular classes connected Jan. 10.

Atlanta schools articulation Fulton County, Dekalb County, Clayton County and Rockdale County schools successful a virtual instrumentality aft Christmas.

Georgia’s 2 largest schoolhouse districts — Gwinnett County and Cobb County — person not announced immoderate changes to returning to schoolhouse successful idiosyncratic arsenic of Saturday.

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