US carriers Delta and Alaska Air canceled hundreds of flights on Tuesday due to adverse weather conditions and rising cases of the Omicron variant. Delta said it expected to cancel more than 250 of 4,133 scheduled flights on Tuesday, while Alaska canceled 150 flights to and from Seattle and warned of more cancellations and delays throughout the day. Total cancellations as of 2 p.m. ET within, into, or out of the United States stood at 1,034, with 2,694 flights delayed, marking a fifth day of flight cancellations. Delta said it was working to reroute and substitute some planes. Despite the ongoing disruption, the US CDC said on Tuesday it is not currently considering recommending a vaccine mandate for domestic flights, responding to a suggestion the previous day by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert. "Right now, what we're talking about is ways to get people vaccinated. Certainly domestic flights has been a topic of conversation, but that is not something we're revisiting right now," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on National Public Radio when asked about Fauci's comment. Walensky said the CDC considers all potential policy and it strongly recommends vaccinations, noting that unvaccinated people have a much higher chance of being hospitalized from COVID-19. <br/>
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The Kenyan government has scrapped its plan to renationalise Kenya Airways but instead will protect its financial interests during a US$1b restructuring of the flag carrier that will include a US$827m debt take-over and a US$473m cash injection, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revealed. In a recent country report on Kenya, the IMF said: “The [Kenyan] authorities do not intend to nationalise the carrier and are considering appropriate mechanisms to protect the Exchequer’s [National Treasury’s] financial interests during the restructuring process”. As part of putting Kenya Airways on a sustainable footing, the government will assume USD827 million of its debt. In addition, in FY2021/22 and FY2022/23, US$473m will be provided as direct budgetary support to clear overdue payment obligations and to cover the upfront costs of restructuring, which will include a trimming down of the carrier’s fleet, network, frequencies, and staff complement, the IMF said. By December, Kenya’s National Treasury (NT) will prepare a loan agreement with Kenya Airways that will include conditions for providing financial support to implement the restructuring plan. This will include clear KPIs, timelines, reporting obligations and a disbursement plan. The signing of loan agreements will follow the approval of the supplementary budget by the Kenyan Parliament.<br/>