Despite rising numbers of cases of the coronavirus nationwide, travelers are increasingly turning to air travel as the holidays approach. For the first time since March, the Transportation Security Administration screened more than 1 million passengers on two consecutive days for a total of 2,140,310 travelers throughout the weekend.
The new figures come on the heels of a spike in cases associated with travelers returning home to celebrate Thanksgiving. On Nov. 25, the TSA screened 1,070,967 people at checkpoints nationwide, after which the seven-day average for cases rose to 196,882.
JUST IN: For the second consecutive day, @TSA screened more than 1 million people at airport checkpoints nationwide. On Saturday, Dec. 19, TSA screened 1,073,563 individuals. On Friday, Dec. 18, TSA screened 1,066,747. First time since pandemic two consecutive 1M+ screened.
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) December 20, 2020
Public health officials have continued to ask people to exercise caution and to avoid all unnecessary travel in favor of smaller celebrations of the holidays. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines for vacationing during the holidays, which includes a series of questions and recommendations in order to ensure safe travel.
Some experts warn that traveling for the holidays may have disastrous consequences.
“More exposure in an unprotected way will cause more cases,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director at the American Public Health Association. “We’re expecting surges to occur. … It will be additive to what we saw from Thanksgiving. We are beginning to see the fallout from Thanksgiving now, but it will get worse.”
Due to these severe risks, some public officials are opting not to spend the holidays with loved ones this year. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he will forego a large gathering this year, instead celebrating only with his wife.
“[My children] are not going to come home. That’s painful. We don’t like that,” Fauci said. “But that’s just one of the things you’re going to have to accept as we go through this unprecedented, challenging time.”
Despite the guidance, some public officials have been caught traveling and breaking their own restrictions. White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Deborah Birx was criticized for observing Thanksgiving in the presence of multiple households, and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s birthday dinner outing earned such intense scrutiny that it warranted a recall petition that has amassed more than 800,000 signatures.
COVID-19 has infected more than 17 million people in the United States and killed over 300,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker.
