Federal officials are screening millions of passengers per day, marking an increase in holiday travel compared to last year at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lisa Farbstein, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, said Tuesday that 2,010,601 people were screened at airport security checkpoints on Monday throughout the United States.
“It’s the sixth day so far this month that checkpoint volume has exceeded 2 million,” Farbstein wrote on Twitter. “Please remember to wear your mask!”
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On Sunday, the TSA screened 2,150,150 travelers, the highest day this month of recorded travelers, according to its website. Both days saw a million more travelers than on the comparable dates in 2020, with 978,297 people screened on Nov. 14, 2020, and 883,157 on Nov. 15, 2020.
Earlier this month, the American Automobile Association predicted Thanksgiving travel would come close to reaching pre-pandemic levels. In a press release issued on Nov. 9, the company estimated roughly 53.4 million people would travel during the holiday, signifying a 13% increase in travel from 2020 and coming within 5% of pre-pandemic travel numbers.
“This Thanksgiving, travel will look a lot different than last year,” said Paula Twidale, the senior vice president for AAA Travel, in a press release. “Now that the borders are open and new health and safety guidelines are in place, travel is once again high on the list for Americans who are ready to reunite with their loved ones for the holiday.”
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The U.S. reopened travel on Nov. 8 to noncitizens from Mexico, Canada, and a significant portion of Europe. Travelers from these places are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
To date, the U.S. has recorded a total of 47,145,861 COVID-19 cases and 761,426 deaths attributed to the coronavirus, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Roughly 195.4 million people in the U.S. are considered fully vaccinated, while 227.6 million have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the public health agency.
