Air travel was hampered over the weekend as U.S. airlines were forced to cancel flights due to the lack of flight crews. Monday represents the fourth day of flight cancellations with about 800 flights cancelled.
The spread of the omicron variant of the novel coronavirus SARS-2-CoV is expected to be worse. Approximately a quarter of a million new infections are being reported daily. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards stated hospitalizations in his state doubled.
These factors have led to U.S. President Biden and governors to schedule a meeting today to discuss strategies for dealing with the rapid spread of the virus.