By Chantal Da Silva -
NBC News
Airlines have blamed the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 for the cancellation of nearly 10,000 flights this holiday weekend, which continued on Monday in the United States as the storm in the West exacerbates the chaos and causes crashes. chain like the one registered in Nevada.
Between December 24 and 26, some 8,000 flights were canceled, according to data published by the FlightAware platform.
Several airlines, including Delta, United, JetBlue and Alaska, blamed COVID-19 infections for the difficulties.
Travelers queue up at the American Airlines counter at Denver International Airport, Sunday, December 26, 2021. David Zalubowski / AP / AP
In a statement released Sunday, Delta said "that
winter weather
in some parts of the United States and the omicron variant" affected the weekend flight schedule.
Of a total of
4,155 flights
scheduled for Sunday, Delta said it had canceled 161, with another 40 scheduled for Monday.
JetBlue said it had about 110 cancellations this Sunday, with a number that could grow Monday due to understaffing.
"We have seen a growing increase in the number of sick calls by omicron," said the airline, indicating that it had started the Christmas season with the highest staffing levels since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
A strong system of storms and snowfalls keeps the northwestern US on alert.
Dec. 27, 202100: 29
"Despite our best efforts, we have had to cancel several flights, and other cancellations
and other delays
remain possible ," added JetBlue.
Another 2,000 flights around the world were canceled for Monday, and at least
629 affected the United States
, according to FlightAware.
Cancellations occur when many people try to go home after visiting loved ones at Christmas.
Only on December 26, almost 190,000 new cases of COVID-19 will be reported in the United States, according to the tracking kept by The New York Times, which pointed out that the Christmas interruptions in the tests for the detection of the coronavirus and in the report of the data
could affect the count.
Chaos at airports following cancellation of hundreds of flights due to COVID-19 cases
Dec. 24, 202101: 34
Winter storms in the West have compounded the chaos caused by coronavirus infections.
For example, more than 20 vehicles were involved in an accident in northwestern Nevada, and at least three people were hospitalized, according to Truckee Township Rescue Services.
"Conditions are extreme in the Washoe Valley with 50-mile-per-hour winds and snowstorm conditions," he said in a post on Twitter.
The California Highway Patrol said Interstate 80 was closed from the Nevada state line to Colfax, California, in both directions.
Later, he shared a video of the dangerous driving conditions and indicated that his agents were "having a difficult time finding the route."
The National Weather Service office in Reno warned on Twitter that it was the
"kind of day to stay home if you can."
For this Monday, two storms were expected to cause more significant snowfall in the mountain ranges of the West Coast and the West Intermontane, according to the meteorological service.
Ómicron outshines Delta, triggers COVID-19 infections and alters plans for Christmas
Dec. 26, 202101: 43
While one of the storms is expected to weaken Monday evening, the next system, which is already causing heavy snowfall in the mountains, is also forecast to make its way through the intermountain west overnight and Tuesday evening. tomorrow, and the Sierra Nevada
reaches totals of up to three feet of snow
at the higher elevations.
The storms were also expected to bring record cold to parts of the West Coast, with snowfall also in the Upper Midwest and a "freezing winter mix" hitting the central Great Lakes and northern Mid-Atlantic, the service said. meteorological.
"
Travel delays are possible
due to icy conditions in these regions, both on the ground and in the air," he warned.
[More flights canceled due to the advance of the omicron variant of COVID-19]
Record cold temperatures are also possible along the East Coast Monday, the weather service said.
As the West grapples with snow and icy conditions, the South could see record warm temperatures in the coming days as the region continues a Christmas heat wave.