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SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. (KTXL) — The omicron variant is impacting Sacramento County’s public transportation system.

The Sacramento Regional Transit District, which serves cities such as Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Folsom, Rancho Cordova and Elk Grove, said Thursday the “national workforce shortage is having a tremendous impact on Sac RT operations and staffing.”

As a result, SacRT said people who rely on its services should prepare for delays and cancellations.

People can check for service updates by clicking or tapping here and signing up for alerts.

Sacramento County, along with the rest of the state and the country, is experiencing a major spike in COVID-19 cases and seven-day average case rates. While hospitalizations and deaths have not experienced as much of a dramatic increase, the most recently-recorded case rate in the county stood at 83.7 per 100,000. During the last major spike following the 2020 holiday season, the county reached case rate numbers just above 63.

Hospitalizations are seeing an upward trend, with 291 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday.

Sacramento County businesses have been temporarily closing their doors as employees call out sick.

“We don’t know where it’s going and it’s a challenge. And as much as we hate it, it’s better to just shut down and see where this takes us for the next week,” said Patrick Mulvaney, the owner of midtown restaurant Mulvaney’s B&L.

Likewise, out of an abundance of caution, the owner of Bacon and Butter closed Sunday through Thursday, only to open Friday for to-go orders only. 

Taro Arai, the owner of Mikuni restaurants, held up an “I’m sorry” sign in an Instagram post, asking for customers’ patience while they continue to work through the challenges of sick workers and unexpected absences.