elwyn lopez joins us. what can you tell us about the shelter in place issued for anyone near the downtown area? >> reporter: police issuing it for anyone within a half a mile radius but haven't said why. authorities have said they've located the suspect's vehicle and a person of interest is being looked at. linsey. >> elwyn, thank you. >>> now to our other major headline. two members of that christian group kidnapped in haiti have been freed. late today the u.s. based christian aid ministry made the announcement on their website, but did not give the names of those released. janai norman leads us off tonight. >> reporter: tonight, after being held captive for more than a month, two members of an american christian organization have been freed in haiti. the ohio-based christian aid ministries saying in a statement, the two hostages who were released are safe, in good spirits, and being cared for. we cannot provide or confirm the names of though those released, the reasons for their release, where they're fr

elwyn lopez joins us from the airport in atlanta and, elwyn, just moments ago the white house released new details about the president's in-person meeting with his covid response team. what have we learned? >> reporter: linsey, dr. fauci telling the president in that briefing that he believes the existing vaccines are likely to provide protection against severe cases of covid-19 adding that he recommends all fully vaccinated adults to get their booster shots as soon as possible. we know the president is planning to address the nation tomorrow, linsey. >> elwyn, thank you. >>> countries worldwide are racing to understand the new variant and try to contain its spread. several european nations are already seeing cases including at least 13 passengers arriving in the netherlands from south africa all now under mandatory quarantine. israel closing its borders to foreign nationals. morocco banning foreign flights and the uk imposing new restrictions. abc's julia macfarlane is in london. >> reporter: tonight, world leaders rushing to get ahead of the new variant. >> we take this omicron varia

abc's elwyn lopez reports from new york city. reporter: that's 21 states are seeing an yup tick in cases in covid-19. saturday marking the fifty consecutive day that hospital zations have risen across the u.s. there are now concerns cases could rise further as temperatures drop and people gather for the holidays. st. michael's college in vermont has suspended social gathering after a spike in cases tide to halloween parties. >> we've been predicting that there's going to be another wave of covid-19 over the winter. we have a about half the population vaccinated. arguably 58% fully vaccinated. what that means we have almost half the population not vaccinated. >> four states now allowing booster shots for all adults even though federal health officials recommend limiting doses to people 65 years and older. and any doubt with's health or drop puts them at higher risk. >> the data now is very clear that more than six months out from your second shot, there is a decline in protection against protection. not necessarily against hospita

abc news reporter elwyn lopez reports that the case rise has led to one college, changing its policy on holiday gatherings. >> at least 21 states are seeing an uptick in cases of covid-19. saturday marking the fifth consecutive day that hospitalizations have risen across the u.s.. they are now concerned cases could rise further as temperatures drop people gather fidelity's. they have suspended social gatherings after a spike in cases tied to halloween parties. >> we have been predicting that there would be another wave of covid-19 over the winter. we have about half the population vaccinated, arguably 58% fully vaccinated. that means we have almost half the population not vaccinated. >> for states allowing booster shots for all adults even though federal health officials recommend limiting doses to people 65 years and older in any adult whose job puts them at higher risk. >> the data is clear that more than six months after the second shot there is a decline in protection against infection. not against hospitalizations, if you want to avoid that, people should get the booster. >> the

elwyn lopez has more. >> reporter: horror unfolding at this christmas parade in wisconsin, right outside milwaukee. at 4:39 p.m., police say a red suv careened down the street. witnesses say a driver plowed through police barricades and slammed into a crowd of people at the waukesha parade. leaving more than 20 injured. officers transporting victims to the hospital. witnesses describing the terrifying scene. >> then all of a sudden i heard a loud bang. the vehicle just struck a crowd of people on the parade route, and we heard deafening cries and screams. >> reporter: families with young children stunned. >> it was so close to actively losing my children. because children go into the road to get the candy, and they were saying that they wanted to get the candy. just a split second, they could not be here right now. >> reporter: this video capturing the moment a red vehicle flew by, narrowly missing a little girl dancing in the street. authorities haven't confirmed if this is the vehicle suspected of driving through the crowd. >> we have multiple casualties. >> reporter: the city's facebo

here's elwyn lopez. >> reporter: tonight, outrage in new york, after a judge ruled a man who pleaded guilty to sex crimes against four teenage girls, including rape and sexual assault, could not serve a single day in prison. >> i agonized, i -- i'm not ashamed to say that i actually prayed over what is the appropriate sentence in this case. >> reporter: christopher belter associated two 15-year-olds and two 16-year-olds in his family's home in western new york. he was 17 at the time and tried as an adult. >> i've come to feel deep shame and regret for my actions. none of you deserve to be in this situation. >> reporter: one of belter's victims becking the judge to, quote, not let this rapist walk away, adding, you have the ability to save future girls. he faced up to eight years behind bars, but judge matthew murphy determined eight years probation was punishment enough. >> there was great pain, there was great harm, there were multiple crimes committed in the case and it seems to me that a sentence that involves incarceration or partial incarceration is inappropriate. >> reporter: a

here is abc's elwyn lopez. >> reporter: tonight the cascading travel nightmare for passengers across the country, american airlines cancelling at at least 1,000 flights day, and more than 1,800 in all since friday. >> all these people in line, trying to find alternative flights. >> reporter: long lines like these at charlotte douglas airport on saturday. eric capron and his wife trying to get to omaha. >> i just found out my flight has been canceled. i was supposed to depart at 5:50. and we don't know if we're going get out tonight. >> reporter: howard schwartz finally getting home this morning. >> i ended up in st. louis. from st. louis i had to spend the night and then take a 6:00 a.m. flight from st. louis back to phoenix. >> reporter: the airline blaming severe winds at its dallas-fort worth hub days ago and staffing shortages, writing in a note to employees, we could only use two runways instead of the usual five. southwest airlines cancelling more than 200 flights today due to weather. this comes just weeks after that airline experienced its own operational issues, scrapping mo

elwyn lopez leads us off tonight from new york. > reporter: tonight, growing fears of a possible winter surge, with colder weather sending more people indoors and the holidays approaching. daily new cases up 23% in the past two weeks. nearly half of the country seeing a rise in infections of at least 10%. and tonight, some medical experts urging all adults to consider getting a booster shot. >> for most adults, the risk of breakthrough infections has risen with the delta variant. and i think six months out people should really be thinking about getting that booster. >> reporter: four states already getting slightly ahead of the cdc, rolling out boosters to everyone 18 and older. in northern california, ware sykes getting his extra dose of protection. his son receiving his first. >> we are going to travel during the holidays, christmas time. feeling much more comfortable about it with the booster. >> reporter: meanwhile, a blow to the biden administration's vaccine mandate for private businesses. a federal appeals court upholding a decision to block it, calling the mandate fatally flawed

abc's elwyn lopez joins us now with the latest. good morning, elwyn. >> reporter: hey, linsey, good morning. here in new york city, we're seeing an uptick in covid-19 cases and it's not just here. nearly half of the country is part of that rising trend, and these colder temperatures are adding to concerns about possible winter surge. over the weekend in california, people t e arrolling up theirleevesthe hi they're saying the unvaccinated, the delta variant and waning immunity are to blame for the rising cases. we're seeing a rise in daily cases of 10% or more. saturday marking the fifth consecutive day where hospitalizations across the u.s. have gone up. this as some colleges reporting halloween parties as a reason for recent outbreaks. one college in vermont is shutting down all social gatherings after nearly 100 students tested positive for the virus there. brian? >> elwyn, thank you. >>> and just as one nfl player gets cleared to play, another will sit on the sidelines this sunday, and abc's zachary kiesch joining us now with mo

. >> for the latest on the situation, let's go to abc's elwyn lopez at the airport in atlanta. elwyn, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, whit, good morning. this is one of the world's busiest airports. that new highly mutated variant is set to shut down travel into the u.s. from several countries starting tomorrow. around the world this morning, nations taking swift action to stem the spread of the omicron variant. the u.s. now just hours away from closing its borders to people coming from several african countries. >> as the president has said, we're going to take every precaution. that's why we've taken the measures we have. >> reporter: it hits when cases and hospitalizations in the u.s. are on the rise. >> a new variant thrown into the mix is exactly what we don't want at this time. >> reporter: hoping to avoid even more of a surge, on monday, president biden is sealing off entry into the u.s. from south africa and seven other nations. this as health officials dub that new variant, omicron, as one of concern. south africa releasing a statement slamming the travel restri

abc's elwyn lopez is at cdc headquarters in atlanta with the latest. elwyn, good morning. >> reporter: hey, rachel, good morning. and those cases are on the rise again, and now a new variant is sparking an upcoming ban on travelers from parts of africa. this morning, a new coronavirus variant triggering the shutdown of travel to the u.s. from south africa and seven other countries starting monday. >> i decided that we're going to be cautious, make sure there's no travel to and from south africa and six other countries in that region and -- except for american citizens who are able to come back. >> reporter: the world health organization now classifying omicron as a variant of concern, saying it has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning. preliminary evidence suggesting an increased risk of reinfection. this as people gather for the thanksgiving holiday. the u.s. already seeing a surge in covid-19 cases, up by nearly 47% since late october. and ahead of potential spikes, new york declaring a state of emergency, the governor there sayi

lopez has more on the new travel restrictions a new variant of covid-19 omicron has been classified by the world health organization as a variant of concern health experts say it is different for two reasons. we've seen it really take off in prevalence across multiple countries, but particularly south africa in very very short order meaning it probably is a lot more contagious. the second is the mutations in the spike protein where our antibodies will work making a lot of us concerned that our vaccines may be less effective against this variant the responsible for shutting down travel to the us from south africa and several other countries. i decided that we're going to be cautious make sure there's no travel. to and from south africans six other countries and that region and except for american citizens who are able to come back. scientists have confirmed at least 87 cases of the new variate 77 in south africa 6 in botswana hong kong and one each in israel in belgium and now two cases confirmed in the uk both related to travel to south africa, the two individuals concerned are self

abc's elwyn lopez joins us live from outside of a hospital here in new york city with more. good morning to you, elwyn. >> reporter: hey, linsey, good morning. that federal vaccine mandate for two-thirds of the american workforce will remain on hold after that decision. this as several states are already okaying booster shots for all adults even before the green light from the cdc. breaking overnight, a big blow for the biden administration. a u.s. appeals court upholding a decision to block the covid-19 mandate for large companies, calling it staggeringly overbroad. the mandate would require employees to get the shot or risk losing their job. this new decision comes as health officials across the country brace for a possible winter surge. >> unfortunately, we're just not out of the woods yet. we have to have a healthy level of caution as we're stepping into this holiday season. >> reporter: the nation seeing a uptick in hospitalizations for four consecutive days, 47,000 patients currently receiving care, yet that is still down about 55% since mid-august. but in colorado, he

abc's elwyn lopez has more. >> reporter: this morning, pfizer and moderna booster shots are prepped and ready to go into the arms of anyone 18 and older. the rollout for all adults coming after the fda and the cdc gave the go ahead for those fully vaccinated at least six months after the second dose. >> i am really glad that we have clarity and streamlining of the recommendations so that all americans can understand the vaccines that are recommended for them. >> reporter: and ahead of a possible winter surge, people across the country racing to get that extra shot before the holidays. in california, that added dose of protection is in high demand. >> major goal accomplished. that's how i feel today. >> reporter: this as at least 30 states are seeing an uptick of covid cases of at least 10% or more in the past two weeks. michigan now reporting more cases than at any other point in the pandemic holding the nation's highest infection rate. health experts say vaccinating those without their first shot is key to ending the pandemic. >> the real concern is that right now michigan, our hospita

abc's elwyn lopez joins us with more on the new rollout. good morning. >> reporter: whit, good morning. a busy weekend administering that added dose of protection just in time for the holidays. this morning, that extra covid-19 shot in high demand as americans gear up for the holidays. >> i'm really happy about it because the holidays are coming up, and i would like to feel a little safer being around people. >> reporter: the cdc clearing the way for anyone 18 and older to roll up their sleeves for an added dose six months after their last one. >> we are seeing more breakthrough infections. that is expected to increase in the coming months because of the winter weather. >> reporter: this comes as 34 states are now seeing a surge in new infections. the u.s. averaging more than 94,000 cases a day. that's 20,000 more than a week ago. in new mexico, health care workers were at their breaking point. >> our situation right now is dire. most of these patients are unvaccinated. this is overwhelming our health care system. >> reporter: and in connec

elwyn lopez has this story. good morning, elwyn. >> reporter: hey, michael, good morning. this is what we were all hoping for. baby blaise waking up in his own bed this morning, his mother finally reunited with him after a 36-hour frantic search and he was found just within a mile of his home. ye-ooyn orgi, the ended. >> it was like i instantly started crying. i was speechless. >> reporter: speechless as her desperation turned into overwhelming relief thursday afternoon after a woman called 911 saying she had found a kid in her car. >> she took the baby inside her home. when officers arrived, they met with paramedics who performed a medical check on baby blaise. >> reporter: baby blaise was abducted early wednesday morning as his parents were unloading their car. his mother says she believes someone got into her suv and took off with the boy inside. later that day police located the vehicle, but the baby was nowhere to be found. it wasn't until the day after that that his mother received a call she will forever remember. >> he was like, we got him and i was like, you got h