How many people traveled during the Thanksgiving holiday? Certainly more than the CDC wanted, but it wasn’t as much as in 2019. The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) reports they screened approximately 9.5 million people between Friday, November 20th, and Sunday, November 29th. Compared to 2019, however, this is only a small percentage. The TSA reported in 2019, during the same ten-day period, they screened a total of 17 million passengers. According to the TSA, this year was only 35 to 45 percent of the 2019 volume. TSA also spoke on how much the travel industry recovered. “On April 14, TSA screening volumes dropped to a low of 87,500, or just 4% of travel volume compared to the year prior. Since recording that low, travel volumes have exhibited a gradual strengthening, rising to approximately 40% of recovery between Labor Day and the Thanksgiving holiday. The last time travel volume rose above 1M in a single day was Sunday, October 18 during the Columbus Day holiday travel period.” Basically, travel has been resuming and especially so during the holidays.
The CDC asked people not to travel, so many are wondering, “When will we see the spike in cases?” Well, according to Dr. Fauci we should see an increase in cases in about two weeks (since the Thanksgiving holiday). This is because in most cases, people are asymptomatic for the first couple of days, and it could take up to two weeks for symptoms to show. The CDC says to get tested if you traveled, but many doctors say you should quarantine and wait a few days. This is due to the fact that it takes a while to become symptomatic and for the virus to become more detectable. It will be interesting to see the spike in cases and how many people who traveled do end up testing positive. It will also be interesting to see the travel number over the New Year/Christmas period and how many people travel compared to Thanksgiving and last year. But if you want to stay safe, stay home, wear a mask, and don’t travel to see family.
UPDATE: We are currently seeing the Thanksgiving surge and even though vaccines are being distributed official say to stay home for the Christmas and New Year holiday
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