The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened over 2 million passengers at airports throughout the U.S. on Saturday and Sunday, a consecutive report high for the primary time since March. The news comes because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to urge people to remain home within the fight against COVID-19, although it will seem that persons are apparently still heading out for vacations.
In response to the latest checkpoint travel numbers, the TSA screened 1,066,747 travelers on Friday, 1,073,563 travelers on Saturday, and 1,064,619 on Sunday. Spokesperson Lisa Farbstein tweeted that the Friday and Saturday figures marked the “first time since pandemic” that over 1,000,000 individuals have been screened on two consecutive days. The federal agency’s historical data reveals {that a} related quantity of individuals hadn’t passed by way of checkpoints since the weekend of March 13 – the day the coronavirus outbreak was declared a nationwide emergency.
The numbers mark the first time U.S. airports have screened more than 1 million passengers since Nov. 25, or the day before Thanksgiving (1,070,967) and the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend (1,176,091).
The Related Press reports that the seven-day rolling average of newly reported infections within the U.S. has risen from about 176,000 a day, as of simply before Thanksgiving, to over 215,000 a day. Although it’s too early to determine how a lot of the spike is due to travel and gatherings over Turkey Day, experts believe they’re a factor.
In the meantime, the CDC continues asking Americans to remain put.
“Travel can increase your likelihood of spreading and getting COVID-19. Postponing travel and staying house is one of the best ways to protect yourself and others against COVID-19,” the national health institute said in a recent advisory on domestic travel.
However, if the travel pattern continues, public health officers fear this movement will spawn more superspreader events as individuals unknowingly transmit the virus to family members throughout indoor holiday gatherings. Officers are aware the upcoming holiday stretch from Christmas to New Yr’s Day is an extended period than the Thanksgiving break.
