In a lot of ways, it seems like the pandemic is behind us but we keep getting reminders that this is actually far from over. New York is proving to be the epicenter of the latest surge in the COVID pandemic with the new Omicron variant making its presence very known. It has become so much of an issue that NBC’s Saturday Night Live, which is broadcast out of New York, has imposed strict restrictions for taping tonight, per “Deadline.”
A spokesperson for SNL released a statement that reads, “Due to the recent spike in the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of caution, there will be no live audience for tonight’s taping of Saturday Night Live and the show will have limited cast and crew. The show continues to follow all government safety guidelines in addition to a rigorous testing protocol.”
New York State reported the highest single-day total of new COVID cases yesterday since the beginning of the pandemic. The count reached 21,027 new infections and that’s well above the previous recorded high of 19,942 at the absolute of infections back in January. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said of their current issue that “the surge is here. It’s going to get worse…we know it’s going to get worse, especially after Christmas Day.”
What are YOUR thoughts on how the Omicron surge is affecting the industry?