SAN RAMON, California (AP) – More than 1 million people have passed US airport security checks in the past two days as a sign that public health requests to avoid vacation travel are being ignored, despite an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases.
It is the first time that US airports have screened more than 1 million passengers since November 29. That came at the end of a Thanksgiving weekend that saw much more country travel than hoped for as the weather turned colder and COVID-19 cases were already brooding again.
Now hospitals in many areas are being overwhelmed by the largest COVID-19 outbreak in the US since March, when most Americans were ordered to stay at home and avoid interactions with other households.
The seven-day moving average of newly reported infections in the US has increased from about 176,000 a day just before Thanksgiving to more than 215,000 a day. It’s too early to calculate how much of that increase is due to travel and Thanksgiving gatherings, but experts think they’re a factor.
While lockdowns are no longer in effect in many parts of the country, stay-at-home orders have returned in some areas in an effort to contain the virus. For example, nearly 99% of the California population of about 40 million people has been told to stay at home, except for essential work, shopping, and exercise.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory report stating that “delaying travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.”
Nevertheless, according to the Transportation Security Administration, about 1.07 million people passed security checks at U.S. airports on Friday and on Saturday. Saturday’s volume was down 57% from the same time last year, the smallest year-over-year drop in daily traffic at US airports since Nov. 22 when people started their Thanksgiving outings.
If that early trend continues, U.S. public health officials fear it will lead to more superspread events, as people unknowingly pass the virus on to family and friends while gathering indoors for holiday parties. Health officials note that the upcoming holiday period from Christmas to New Year’s Day spans a longer period than the Thanksgiving break.
More travel is expected as Christmas gets closer. AAA projects approximately 85 million people will travel between December 23 and January 3, most by car. That would be down nearly a third from a year ago, but still a massive movement of people in the midst of a pandemic.