Americans risk travelling over Thanksgiving despite warnings

Millions of Americans took to skies and highways ahe of Thanksgiving at risk of pouring gasoline on coronavirus fire, disregarding increasingly dire warnings that y stay home and limit ir holiday garings to members of ir own household.

Those who are flying witnessed a distinctly 2020 landscape at nation's airports: plexiglass barriers in front of ID stations, rapid virus testing sites inside terminals, masks in check-in areas and on board planes, and paperwork asking passengers to quarantine on arrival at ir destination.

While number of Americans travelling by air over past several days was down dramatically from same time last year, many pressed ahe with ir holiday plans amid skyrocketing deaths, hospitalisations and confirmed infections across US. Some were tired of more than eight months of social distancing and determined to spend time with loved ones.

“I think with holidays and everything, it's so important right w, especially because people are so bummed out because of whole pandemic,” said 25-year-old Cassidy Zerkle of Phoenix, who flew to Kansas City, Missouri, to visit family during what is tritionally one of busiest travel periods of year.

She brought snacks and her own hand sanitiser and said flight was half full. She h a row of seats to herself. “As long as you're maintaining your distance, you're t touching stuff and you're sanitizing your hands, people should see ir families right w," she said. US has recorded more than 12.7 million coronavirus infections and over 262,000 deaths. country is still missing about eight infections for every one counted, according to a new government report Wednesday. Many people don't get tests, especially if y don't have symptoms.

More than 88,000 people in US an all-time high were in hospital with COVID-19 as of Tuesday, pushing health care system in many places to breaking point, and new cases of virus have been setting records, soaring to an aver of over 174,000 per day. Deaths have surged to more than 1,600 per day, a mark last seen in May, when crisis in New York area was easing.

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local authorities have begged people t to travel and urged m to keep ir Thanksgiving celebrations small. “That'll make sure that your extended family are around to celebrate Christmas and to celebrate holidays next year,” Kentucky Goverr Andy Beshear said. But even Denver Mayor Michael Hancock flew to Mississippi to spend Thanksgiving with his wife and youngest daughter despite sending messs on social media and to city staff asking m to avoid travelling for holiday. He apologised, ackwledging that he went against his own public guidance.

“I me my decision as a husband and far, and for those who are angry and disappointed, I humbly ask you to forgive decisions that are borne of my heart and t my he,” Hancock said.

About 900,000 to 1 million people per day passed through US airport checkpoints from Friday through Tuesday, a drop-off of around 60% from same time a year ago. Still, those were some of biggest crowds since COVID-19 crisis took hold in US in March. Last year, a record 26 million passengers and crew passed through US airport screening in 11-day period around Thanksgiving.

More Americans drive than fly during holiday, and AAA has projected those numbers are also likely to be lower this year. How much lower auto club has t said. Many states and cities have opted precautions. Travellers to Los Angeles, eir by plane or train, were required to fill out an online form ackwledging California's request that people quarantine for two weeks after arrival in state. a Zunick, 40, boarded a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Florida to see her 90-year-old grandmor and her parents.

"We've all kind of decided like it's worth risk,” Zunick said.

“But I wanted to make sure that all efforts that I've me to stay healthy isn't undone by or people's carelessness. And absolutely, I kw that I'm taking a risk by flying. I kw that, but sometimes it's necessary.”

She isolated at home for days before trip, got a COVID-19 test that came back negative and me sure to choose an early and direct flight. She also masked up and layered a face shield on top. Once at airport, Zunick said, she saw poor herence to mask-wearing, loose enforcement of rules, long lines to check bagg and a disregard for social distancing in security lines. Once she boarded her completely full flight, with middle seats occupied, she watched passengers eat and drink with ir masks pulled down and sat next to a passenger wearing a loose bandanna, prompting her to call over a flight attendant, she said.

“I said to stewardess, 'Hey, person next to me, is that permitted? Because it's making me uncomfortable.' y're like, 'Oh, yeah, that's fine.' But it's t," Zunick said. " bottom of it was open. And it was tied so loosely that it kept falling down throughout flight and he kept messing with it and trying to make it tighter and pull it up."  

(Im Credits: AP)