Workers are calling out sick in droves, leaving employers scrambling --NPR

Omicron has left employers around the country short of workers. Sometimes very short.

At United Airlines, CEO Scott Kirby said nearly a third of the workforce called out sick on one day alone at Newark Liberty International Airport.

At MOM's Organic Market, some of its east coast stores have had to deal with 15 out of 50 workers out on a single day.

And at the community health center Mary's Center in Washington, D.C., half of the Covid Response Team tested positive for the virus over the past few weeks.

And yet, doors remain open. The show must go on. ...

The department store Macy's decided to shorten store hours for January, opening all locations an hour late and closing an hour early.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. is temporarily moving to a Thursday through Sunday schedule. Before the pandemic, it was open every day except Christmas.

Advocate Aurora Health of Wisconsin has temporarily closed three urgent care centers and moved staff to busier locations. ...

Even as staffing shortages ease in some workplaces, hospitals are in crisis mode.

At Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, makeshift emergency rooms have been set up in different parts of the hospital, including in the lobby.

"The impending fear is that we'll run out of staff," says Dr. Omar Lateef, a pulmonary critical care physician who serves as the hospital's president and CEO. ...