Nov 21, 2020 - Health

Over 1 million U.S. travelers flew on Friday, despite calls to avoid holiday travel

Axios

Travelers walk through Newark International Airport on November 21, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. Photo: Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

More than 1 million people flew through U.S. airports on Friday, according to TSA data, the second highest number since the coronavirus pandemic began hit the U.S. in mid-March.

Why it matters: As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continued to soar this week, the CDC issued new guidance on Thursday advising Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving, warning doing so may increase the chance of getting and spreading COVID-19.

By the numbers: The 1,019,836 people TSA screened at U.S. airports on Friday is still less than half the number (2,550,459) that passed through screenings on the same weekday a year ago.

TSA screened 1,031,505 passengers on Oct. 18, the highest number since March 17.

Go deeper: Americans line up for coronavirus testing ahead of Thanksgiving

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Over 1 million U.S. travelers flew on Friday, despite calls to avoid holiday travel

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