Americans Travel On Thanksgiving Despite Pandemic Warnings

Despite the alerts and requests from health entities to take care of themselves and not go out en masse amid the outbreak of COVID-19 in various parts of the country and the world, Americans are planning to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday.

According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the number of travelers is much lower than last year and it is estimated that more than two million people were screened on Friday and Saturday at US airports. However, in relation to the March figures, last Friday was the second time that the daily reviews passed one million people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have asked Americans not to travel on Thanksgiving Day, or spend the holiday with people who do not live with them.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease expert in the United States, said he was concerned about the saturation of travelers at airports, due to the holiday, as it could generate an increase in COVID-19 cases.

“We will get into more trouble even those who already have now , ” he said in the program “Face the Nation” on CBS, in which he said that weeks later the consequences will be, in the midst of holiday season and a colder weather.

According to John Breyault of the National Consumers League, Americans “should feel comfortable changing their plans and canceling their flights if they need to do so for health reasons.”

In addition, due to the current situation, airlines will not pay cash to refund a flight, but they have implemented policies that make it easier to waive fees and offer coupons.

Breyault told the AP agency that passengers should “familiarize themselves with the policies.”

According to Johns Hopkins University, the United States leads the list of infections and deaths from COVID-19, with a total of 12, 249,575 cases and 256,798 deaths.