Wednesday, November 25th became the busiest travel day since before the COVID-19 lockdowns in March. According to NBCNews, on Wednesday, 1.1 million travelers made their way through airports, the highest number since mid-March. March 16, 2020, saw 1.25 million passengers pass through airports before lockdown restrictions were placed around the country. In total, the week before Thanksgiving saw 6.7 million airport visitors, despite calls from health officials to not travel home for the holidays.
The record is bittersweet. On one hand, it represents America’s undying need to travel, to see family, and to connect with loved ones. On the other, many fear that this wave of travel is going to compound the already-mounting COVID disaster. Officials are saying that the main surge of COVID cases from Thanksgiving travel will be seen in about two or three weeks…exactly the same time as the Christmas travel rush.
All travelers should be prepared for calls from officials to limit Christmas and New Years’ travel. Experts say this is all going to get worse before it gets better.
If you do plan to travel home for the December holidays:
~ you’ll need to keep your schedule very flexible in order to avoid crowds.
~ It would be wise to test before leaving (get a rapid and a PCR test to be safe.)
~ Isolate yourself as best as possible for 2 weeks before leaving, and quarantine for 2 weeks when you return.
~ Ensure that any family members or friends you’ll be visiting are doing the same.
