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Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Amtrak will reduce its schedule between New Year's Eve and Jan. 6 amid a recent spike in coronavirus cases among employees, according to a statement obtained by the Washington Post.

Why it matters: The Omicron variant has driven up infections across the United States, upending vacation plans and disrupting travel. About two dozen trains will be affected, according to the Post.

  • About 97% of Amtrack employees have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. Still, it's seen an uptick in positive cases, largely fueled by the new strain.
  • The trimmed schedule reduces about 1.5% of Amtrak's trains scheduled for the week, according to the Post.

What they're saying: "Amtrak regrets any inconvenience," the railroad said in the statement.

  • "We are continuing to monitor changing conditions and will make any further adjustments as required," it continued.

Go deeper

COVID is disrupting some North Texas school schedules

Expand chart
Data: N.Y. Times; Cartogram: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

Several North Texas school districts have canceled classes for the rest of the week, while others are now requiring students and staff to wear masks in response to a surge of new coronavirus cases.

Why it matters: Pediatric hospitals have reported an increase in positive COVID test results in the month since the first omicron case was reported in North Texas.

Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

One hostage released as FBI continues crisis negotiations at Texas synagogue

SWAT team members deploy near the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, on Jan. 15. Photo: ANDY JACOBSOHN/AFP via Getty Images

The FBI's Dallas Field Office and Texas Department of Public Safety are assisting an "active operational and investigative" hostage situation in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Saturday, according to a statement from the local police department in Colleyville, 15 miles northeast of Fort Worth.

The latest: "Shortly after 5 p.m. [CST], a male hostage was released uninjured" from Congregation Beth Israel where SWAT operations are active, the police department said in an updated statement. "FBI Crisis Negotiators continue contact with the subject."

The new normal: Google searches reveal America's COVID shopping habits

Data: The New Normal; Google Trends; Chart: Jared Whalen/Axios

As the pandemic enters its third year, some of America's COVID-era shopping habits — including strong demand for tequila and sweatpants — are here to stay.

Driving the news: Axios worked with Google Trends and the Schema Design firm to create The New Normal, which analyzes the products Americans have Googled since 2020. Items with a lasting increase in search interest help fill in the details of what our "new normal" looks like.