Across the United States, coronavirus cases are surging and the Omicron variant is spreading, throwing the scheduling of schools, concerts and sports leagues into question. Just days away from a holiday weekend, Americans are also grappling with whether to change their traveling or gathering plans.
Millions are forging ahead, but, for many, a sense of unease has crept in.
“My entire family is pretty uncertain about what to do there, what the rules should be,” Max Farmer, 24, who lives in San Francisco, said. “With Omicron, there’s just a lot of uncertainty.”
Mr. Farmer has plans to go to Minnesota this month and see his family for the first time in three years. But he said he was worried about the possibility of getting them sick, particularly a sister who was pregnant.
More than 109 million Americans are expected to travel between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, a 34 percent increase from last year, according to AAA. The number of airline passengers alone is projected to rise 184 percent from last year.
On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said that it was O.K. for Americans to travel and gather, but he strongly emphasized that people take precautions.