North Allegheny grad abroad in Europe unsure if she’ll make it home due to Omicron variant

PITTSBURGH — A Wexford native, studying abroad with classmates from Northwestern University, is in Prague and isn’t sure if she could fly home in time for the holidays due to the emerging omicron variant of COVID-19 and ever-changing travel restrictions.

Natalie Daninhirsch is currently in Prague, after a stop in Vienna, and says COVID-19 is being handled extremely differently than in the U.S. and people don’t fight the mitigation measures in place.

“I feel so much safer here than I ever did in all of the pandemic back home,” Daninhirsch tells Channel 11. “Everyone is required to wear KN95 masks – you can’t wear any other kind of mask. They’ve made it a rule, you’re not allowing into coffee shops, restaurants without being vaccinated. They don’t accept negative COVID tests.”

In Vienna, Daninhirsch says she had to show proof of vaccination to eat outside. Due to COVID-19, she tells Channel 11 restaurants and clubs close up by 10 p.m.

While she feels safe given the vaccination rates and compliance with masks in the Czech Republic, she’s not so certain about her flight home in 18 days, which connects through Germany. Daninhirsch calls it a dire situation there.

“50,000 cases a day there. When I got to Czech Republic back in September, they were having 200–400 cases a day,” Daninhirsch explains. “Germany is not letting tourists in. The Christmas markets are canceled. Some regions like Saxony aren’t letting tourists in, even if you’re vaccinated or coming from a train.”

As omicron emerges in the U.S., the Allegheny County Health Department will be calling everyone returning from eight south African countries with federal travel guidelines in place to ensure they’re quarantining and getting a PCR test.

First case of omicron variant discovered in US (NCD)

Daninhirsch says if she needs to test and quarantine when she gets home, it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind.

While there are no reported cases of omicron in PA, the Allegheny County Health Department is sequencing one out of every seven positive PCR test to identify the new variant.

Thursday, the Biden administration is also expected to announce an extension to the federal masking mandate for public transportation. Masks will be required on buses, trains and planes through at least mid-March.

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