Atlantans share how they’ll navigate the holidays with looming omicron surge

Visitors take photos under a Christmas tree amid the COVID-19 pandemic at a shopping district Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Metro Atlanta folks may have planned to bust out the egg nog and host normal celebrations this year after a chaotic 2020 pandemic holiday season.

Public health officials are now warning about the latest COVID-19 omicron variant, which is undoubtedly weighing heavily on many families’ minds as the festivities approach. Atlanta has even circled back to a citywide indoor mask mandate because of the spike in COVID-19 cases due to omicron.

Atlanta’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data this week showing that the omicron variant now accounts for 73.2% of new coronavirus cases in the U.S.