Perhaps you will not be able to witness your boss consume three liters of spiked eggnog while attempting the Whole Shack Shimmy this holiday season after all. Omicron has arrived, and together with Delta, they are pressuring corporate America to make significant changes to holiday parties, WFH policies, and in-person gatherings.
According to Johns Hopkins University, Covid instances in the United States have increased by 40% from the previous month, with an average of 118,717 new cases reported every day. Positive rates more than doubled in just three days from December 9–12 in New York City, something that has never happened in the city previously during the pandemic.
Just in time for the holidays, the current Covid swell is causing huge problems for the newly reopened United States of America.
Several corporations, including Goldman Sachs, have decided to cancel scheduled holiday parties.
The White House in Washington has announced that it will significantly reduce the number of events this year.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the association of human resource professionals received more than 500 questions about Omicron over the Thanksgiving holiday.
As with the September Delta replay, efforts to return to real-world employment appear to have stalled, or in some cases, have been abandoned entirely. Apple announced on Wednesday that it will be closing its offices for an undetermined period of time, citing Omicron as the reason. Google, Uber, Lyft, and Ford have all announced intentions to delay operations.
It is possible that the indoor is leaving the building.
Concerts, Broadway performances, and athletic events are among the forms of live entertainment that are being affected by the economic downturn.
According to the Wall Street Journal, no-show rates for huge concerts featuring artists such as Dead & Company and The Eagles have reached as high as 20% in some cases.
Covid outbreaks among casts and personnel have forced numerous Broadway productions, including Hamilton, Mrs. Doubtfire, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, and others, to cancel performances in recent days.
Between Monday and Wednesday of this week, nearly 100 NFL players tested positive for Covid, according to the NFL.
Taking a look ahead…
Boosters, according to research, can help to restore protection against the Omicron virus strain. Booster demands from corporations and institutions began to rise up across the country this week, and they are expected to continue to spread in the coming months.