FLYING FEAR
1MILLION Americans ignored CDC plea & traveled by plane in a day as Fauci urges Thanksgiving ‘risk-benefit assessment’
MORE than one million travelers were screened through US airports this weekend as Americans ignored the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advice to stay home during the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Transportation Security Administration screened just over a million Americans on Friday, making for two of the busiest days at airports nationwide since the pandemic nearly halted travel in March.
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Saturday's screenings were slightly lower, but still high enough to bring the two-day total to 2million, according to .
Pictures show Americans crowding airports and boarding planes, despite the relatively lenient cancelation policies that major airlines have implemented since the start of the pandemic.
Vacationers were seen flouting social distancing rules at check-in desks at Fort Lauderdale Airport in .
A video from Sky Harbor airport in showed groups congregating as they waited to board planes.
Photos from O'Hare International Airport in showed lines as people traveled with less than a week to go until .
While Americans risked travel, Dr Anthony Fauci on Sunday urged the public to weigh the risks and "make their own decision" about getting together for the holidays as the US and more than 250,000 deaths.
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"I think the people in this country need to realistically do a risk-benefit assessment,” he told .
The nation's top infectious disease expert said that families need to consider who would be at the table for the holiday meal.
“Every family is different. Everyone has a different level of risk that they want to tolerate,” Fauci said.
He asked Americans to consider the travel logistics involved and how that might expose someone to the virus.
"Do you really want to get a crowd of 10, 15, 20 people, many of whom are coming in from places where they have gone from crowded airports, to planes, getting into the house?" he asked.
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Amid an alarming rise in numbers over recent weeks, the and other government officials have
"As cases continue to increase rapidly across the United States, the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people you live with," the CDC said in a statement.
"Travel may increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others this year."
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During a on Thursday, Dr Deborah Birx warned that asymptomatic patients who don't know they have the virus are often a point of spread among family and friends.
"Sometimes when we go indoors and we’re with friends and family, we just assume that if you look okay, you are okay.
"And now we know that over 50 percent of the individuals, particularly among those under 35, many could be infected and unknowingly spreading the virus," Dr Birx said.
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