The US recently lifted restrictions on travel from a long list of countries, including Mexico, Canada and most of Europe, setting the stage for emotional reunions nearly two years in the making and providing a boost for airlines decimated by the pandemic. AP
The US recently lifted restrictions on travel from a long list of countries, including Mexico, Canada and most of Europe, setting the stage for emotional reunions nearly two years in the making and providing a boost for airlines decimated by the pandemic. AP
The US recently lifted restrictions on travel from a long list of countries, including Mexico, Canada and most of Europe, setting the stage for emotional reunions nearly two years in the making and providing a boost for airlines decimated by the pandemic. AP
The US recently lifted restrictions on travel from a long list of countries, including Mexico, Canada and most of Europe, setting the stage for emotional reunions nearly two years in the making and pr

Is it safe to travel for the holidays amid Omicron surge?


Holly Aguirre
  • English
  • Arabic

This time last year scientists were racing to roll out a coronavirus vaccine as health officials, pundits and anti-vaxxers argued over mask mandates, social distancing and travel guidelines.

The travel industry reported its lowest hotel occupancy numbers in 2020 as most people stayed at home for the holidays – lockdowns keeping them in their own corners of the world.

The good, the bad, the ugly

A year later, we now have a vaccine available to anyone willing to get jabbed, including children as young as 5. Boosters are available to all Americans 18 years and up.

Still, Covid-19 infections have resulted in more than 733,000 deaths in the US and more than 4,932,000 deaths worldwide – and infections are on the rise. In the past three weeks, new cases have spiked a whopping 30 per cent, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed "grave concern" over rising infections in Europe, going as far as to say the recent spike could mean "another half a million Covid-19 deaths" by February. Israel’s coronavirus tsar fears a fifth wave in his country, South Korea just reported its most cases and Austria is in full lockdown.

These stats, however, are not stopping anxious globetrotters from travelling, and President Joe Biden recently opened US borders to international travel after a 20-month closed-door policy.

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it screened 2.24 million travellers on Friday, their single busiest air travel day since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

They expect to screen about 20 million air passengers over Thanksgiving weekend, compared with about 26 million in the same period in 2019, leaving little to no room for proper distancing.

Do you feel lucky?

No matter how much they filter the air or sanitise the tray tables, there’s no controlling the health of your fellow passengers.

“The airlines aren’t checking domestic vaccine cards, so you really have no idea who might be on board with you,” Dr Shervin Kharazmi tells The National.

“I am certainly not taking my 5-year-old child into a situation where I don’t know the vaccine status of those around me.”

Dr Kharazmi is a paediatric emergency medicine specialist in Atlanta, Georgia.

“What it boils down to is knowing who you’re going to be around. Have they been vaccinated, even more so, have they been boosted?” he says.

“Everyone’s immune system is different. Don’t forget that just because you [took the jab], that doesn’t mean you can’t get infected.”

All about the booster

The CDC recommends everyone fully vaccinated get a booster, especially those over 50. April Kapu, who is president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, encourages people planning to travel for Thanksgiving and be in close proximity to others to get their booster shots ahead of time.

“Testing ahead of your gathering can protect your family and those at higher risk, as well as anyone who is unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated,” Kapu says.

“Even vaccinated people should continue to wear masks in crowded indoor public spaces as breakthrough infections continue to rise. It’s so important to note, a mild Covid case in a child can turn into a deadly case for an elderly grandparent, please protect the vulnerable this holiday season.”

Take it outside

Already a multi-billion-dollar industry, camper van sales in October were up a whopping 23 per cent from last year, according to the RV Industry Association. Not only are family vacations in a recreation vehicle cheaper, they also allow for greater control of one’s surroundings.

Discovery Channel editor and road trip enthusiast, Felicia Feaster, advocates for spending quality time with your family on walks or, even better, at a national park.

“I recommend avoiding crowds at overcrowded indoor shopping venues and driving when you can where you have much more control over your interactions with people,” Feaster says.

“Nothing inspires gratefulness and togetherness like time in nature with friends and family.”

Straighten up and fly right

Do not get on a plane until you are fully vaccinated, better yet, until you’re boosted.

Check your destination’s Covid-19 stats before traveling.

All public transportation hubs require masks that cover your nose and mouth.

Avoid crowded places with inadequate airflow.

Stay at home if you have been exposed to anyone testing positive to Covid-19, if you are not vaccinated or you feel sick.

Wash your hands.

Don’t touch your face.

New schools in Dubai
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES

UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh

UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nag%20Ashwin%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrabhas%2C%20Saswata%20Chatterjee%2C%20Deepika%20Padukone%2C%20Amitabh%20Bachchan%2C%20Shobhana%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20M3%2C%208-core%20CPU%2C%20up%20to%2010-core%20CPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2013.6-inch%20Liquid%20Retina%2C%202560%20x%201664%2C%20224ppi%2C%20500%20nits%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20wide%20colour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F16%2F24GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201%2F2TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thunderbolt%203%2FUSB-4%20(2)%2C%203.5mm%20audio%2C%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206E%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2052.6Wh%20lithium-polymer%2C%20up%20to%2018%20hours%2C%20MagSafe%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECamera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201080p%20FaceTime%20HD%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Support%20for%20Apple%20ProRes%2C%20HDR%20with%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%20HDR10%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-speaker%20system%2C%20wide%20stereo%2C%20support%20for%20Dolby%20Atmos%2C%20Spatial%20Audio%20and%20dynamic%20head%20tracking%20(with%20AirPods)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Midnight%2C%20silver%2C%20space%20grey%2C%20starlight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MacBook%20Air%2C%2030W%2F35W%20dual-port%2F70w%20power%20adapter%2C%20USB-C-to-MagSafe%20cable%2C%202%20Apple%20stickers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh4%2C599%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Fitness problems in men's tennis

Andy Murray - hip

Novak Djokovic - elbow

Roger Federer - back

Stan Wawrinka - knee

Kei Nishikori - wrist

Marin Cilic - adductor

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Miss Granny

Director: Joyce Bernal

Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa

3/5

(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)

Fixtures and results:

Wed, Aug 29:

  • Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
  • Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
  • UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs

Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman

Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal

Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore

Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong

Thu, Sep 6: Final

Primera Liga fixtures (all times UAE: 4 GMT)

Friday
Real Sociedad v Villarreal (10.15pm)
Real Betis v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Barcelona (8.15pm)
Levante v Deportivo La Coruna (10.15pm)
Girona v Malaga (10.15pm)
Las Palmas v Atletico Madrid (12.15am)
Sunday
Espanyol v Leganes (8.15pm)
Eibar v Athletic Bilbao (8.15pm)
Getafe v Sevilla (10.15pm)
Real Madrid v Valencia (10.15pm)

MATCH INFO

Watford 1 (Deulofeu 80' p)

Chelsea 2 (Abraham 5', Pulisic 55')

ATP WORLD No 1

2004 Roger Federer

2005 Roger Federer

2006 Roger Federer

2007 Roger Federer

2008 Rafael Nadal

2009 Roger Federer

2010 Rafael Nadal

2011 Novak Djokovic

2012 Novak Djokovic

2013 Rafael Nadal

2014 Novak Djokovic

2015 Novak Djokovic

2016 Andy Murray

2017 Rafael Nadal

2018 Novak Djokovic

2019 Rafael Nadal

SERIE A FIXTURES

Saturday

AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)

Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)

Benevento v Parma (5pm)

Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)

Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)

Lazio v Spezia (5pm)

Napoli v Crotone (5pm)

Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)

Torino v Juventus (8pm)

Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
While you're here
THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

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Updated: December 17, 2021, 4:49 PM`