Pandemic or not, people were determined to spend the holidays with their loved ones.
Flights across the United States filled up the day before Christmas Eve, marking the most passengers the Transportation Security Administration has screened in a day since March 16, when the coronavirus began to bring the country to a halt. More than 1.2 million people in the U.S. boarded a plane on Dec. 23, the TSA reported, which is a record for the pandemic. However, it was still an all-time low for holiday travel when compared to years past. In 2019, for example, nearly 2 million travelers were screened by the TSA on Dec. 23.
Flying was too much of a risk for many people, though, so they took to the road instead. Nearly 84.5 million people in the U.S. decided to take a holiday road trip this year, according to AAA, though this is still a 25% drop from last year’s holiday automobile travel rate.
These numbers, though they reveal a bit of a spike, confirm that many families decided to forgo the hassle and stay home this year, even if that meant sacrificing time with friends and family. In other words, most people are responsible adults who are able to determine for themselves whether the risk is worthwhile.
But this drop in travel was not enough to please health officials, many of whom believe holiday gatherings could create “a surge upon a surge,” as Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the White House coronavirus task force’s leading experts, put it.
“The reason I’m concerned, and my colleagues in public health are concerned also, is that we very well might see a postseasonal, in the sense of Christmas, New Year’s, surge,” he said on Sunday. “We are really at a very critical point.”
Fauci has said this dozens of times over the past nine months. Every point during the coronavirus pandemic has been critical, and every new development requires some sort of sacrifice from the public. The holidays were no exception. But some people decided Christmas was not a sacrifice they were willing to make — and that was their choice.
Many bureaucrats, however, would have preferred to make that choice for you. It’s a good thing the government’s health guidance is just that: guidance.
— By Kaylee McGhee White
