NEW YORK:  Heavy holiday travel in the air and on the ground coincided with a spike in coronavirus infections in the US, and airlines, train companies, and even their regulators are grappling with personnel unavailability as a result of the pandemic's ever more contagious Omicron and Delta variants.

According to the most recent data from Johns Hopkins University, the United States hit a new record high of over 640,000 daily Covid-19 instances on Friday. On Friday, there were 647,067 new cases and 1,409 new deaths reported across the country. According to sources, the single-day spike in cases has established a new record since the outbreak began in the country.

RCEP comes into force on New Year day 2022

Pakistan: President House for public on New Year's Day

South Korea to extend social distancing rules for 14-days more

Airlines have been cancelling over 1,000 flights a day to, from, or within the United States as we approach the New Year's weekend, when return flights will cause another spike in air travel. "Despite the fact that the vast majority of crew members are vaccinated, carriers and their employees say the latest phase of the epidemic, the Omicron variant, has cut significantly into the ability to staff flights," according to the New York Times.

According to the air travel data site FlightAware, JetBlue was one of the most hit carriers, cancelling 17% of its flights on Thursday. The airline announced on Wednesday that it would cancel around 1,280 flights until mid-January, citing an increase in virus cases in the Northeast, where its operations and staff are based.