Flight Cancelled Amid Omicron Scare Worldwide

US President Biden urged its citizens not to panic

New York: Amid the Omicron scare, many flights have been cancelled which led to a major impact on millions returning from holiday breaks in the parts of Europe and the US.

According to a report, almost 11,500 flights have been dumped worldwide since Friday and tens of thousands more delayed during one of the year's busiest travel periods -- with multiple airlines saying spikes in cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have caused staffing shortages.

According to flight tracker FlightAware, effects rippled worldwide, with about 3,000 flights already cancelled Monday and 1,100 more on Tuesday.

Opening the way for more people to return to work sooner and minimizing the prospect of mass labor shortages, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday halved the isolation period for asymptomatic Covid-19 cases from 10 to five days in a bid to blunt mass Omicron-induced disruption.

The guidelines, which are non-binding but closely followed by US businesses and policymakers, further suggest that the five-day isolation period be "followed by five days of wearing a mask when around others."

The COVID-19 cases in the US are already on track to reach record highs in January, fueled by large pockets of unvaccinated residents as well as a lack of access to quick and easy testing.

US President Biden urged its citizens that some US hospitals could be "overrun" but that the country is generally well prepared to meet the latest surge and Americans need not "panic."

In a virtual meeting with state governors and top health advisors, Biden stressed that the rapid spread of Omicron would not have the same impact as the initial outbreak of Covid-19 or the Delta variant surge this year.

"Omicron is a source of concern, but it should not be a source of panic," he said.