Two Million Passengers Traveled Over The Weekend Despite CDC Warnings

Despite warnings issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than 2 million Americans flocked to airports over the weekend ahead of Thanksgiving.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had called on citizens to avoid traveling for Thanksgiving if they could because COVID-19 cases had risen to nearly 200,000 a day.

According to the Transportation Security Administration, more than 2 million travelers in the U.S. were screened between Friday and Saturday. Administration data published this week showed that 1.01 million passengers passed through screening gates Friday and 984,369 were screened Saturday.

The figures over the two days were still 42% lower than those screened over the same period last year. However, the weekend was still considered to be one of the busiest for airports since travel was restricted earlier in the year because of the pandemic.

Administration data showed Friday's air traffic was the second-highest recorded since March. The greatest number of people traveling since the pandemic began was recorded Oct. 18 - with 1.03 million passengers screened.

The Automobile Association estimates around 48 million people are expected to travel by car over Thanksgiving. Travel data indicates Americans aren't willing to heed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's warnings.

"The tragedy that could happen is that one of your family members, from coming together in this gathering, actually could end up being hospitalized and severely ill and die," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 incident manager Dr. Henry Walke told travelers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encouraged Americans to forego Thanksgiving travel this year and instead spend the holiday at home. If this wasn't possible, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans to find safer ways of celebrating Thanksgiving - either holding smaller gatherings outside or gathering online.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci concurred with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and told Americans to consider the consequences of their actions. Fauci warned that while planes themselves may be safe, people gathering at airports nationwide could result in further infections.

"You're in a crowded airport, you're lining up, not everybody's wearing masks - that puts yourself at risk," Fauci said during an interview.