US citizens take to the skies despite surge in Covid stats
Millions of Americans took to the skies and the highways ahead of Thanksgiving at the risk of pouring gasoline on the coronavirus fire. That was despite increasingly dire warnings that they stay home and limit their holiday gatherings to members of their own household.
Those who are flying witnessed a distinctly 2020 landscape at the nation’s airports: plexiglass barriers, rapid virus testing sites inside terminals, masks in check-in areas and on planes, and paperwork asking passengers to quarantine on arrival at their destination.
The number of Americans travelling by air over the past several days was down dramatically from the same time last year, but many pressed ahead with their holiday plans amid skyrocketing deaths, hospitalisations and confirmed infections across the US.
Somewere tired of more than eight months of social distancing and determined to spend time with loved ones.
“I think with the holidays and everything, it’s so important right now, especially because people are so bummed out because of the whole pandemic,” said 25-year-old Cassidy Zerkle of Phoenix, whoflew to Kansas City to visit family during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
She brought snacks and her own hand sanitiser and said the flight was half full. She had a row of seats to herself.
“As long as you’re maintaining your distance, you’re not touching stuff and you’re sanitising your hands, people should see their families right now,” she said.
The US has recorded more than 12.7 million coronavirus infections and more than 262,000 deaths. The 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 they don’t have symptoms.
More than 88,000 people in the US — an all-time high — were in the hospital with Covid-19 as of Tuesday, pushing the health care system in many places to the breaking point, and new cases of the virus have been setting records, soaring to an average of 174,000 per day.
Deaths have surged to more than 1600 per day, amark last seen in May, when the crisis in the New York area was easing.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local authorities have begged people not to travel and urged them to keep their
Thanksgiving celebrations small.
“That’ll make sure that your extended family are around to celebrate Christmas and to celebrate the holidays next year,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said.
About 900,000 to 1 million people per day passed through US airport checkpoints from Friday through Tuesday, a drop of around 60 per cent from the same time a year ago. Still, those were some of the biggest crowds since the Covid-19 crisis took hold in the US in March.
Last year, a record 26 million passengers and crew passed through US airport screening in the 11-day period around Thanksgiving.
Many states and cities have adopted precautions. Travellers to Los Angeles were required to fill out an online form acknowledging California’s request that people quarantine for two weeks after arrival.— AP