Nov 30, 2020 - Economy

TSA says more than 1.1 million travelers flew Sunday after Thanksgiving

Fadel Allassan

People in line. — Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The TSA screened 1,176,091 people at checkpoints in the U.S. on Sunday, the highest number since mid-March, according to a spokesperson.

Why it matters: The CDC advised Americans on Nov. 19 not to travel for Thanksgiving, warning that doing so may increase their chances of contracting and spreading COVID-19. More than 93,000 people are currently hospitalized with the coronavirus, with many hospital systems on the brink of disaster.

Flashback: The TSA screened 2,882,915 people the Sunday after Thanksgiving last year — the highest volume in the agency's history.

Worth noting: In a Harris Poll survey conducted from Nov. 19 to Nov. 21. and shared exclusively with Axios, 25%-30% of Americans said they were likely to ignore health officials' warnings about the risks of gathering with family for Thanksgiving.

What to watch: Top infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci warned on Sunday that the U.S. could see "a surge superimposed upon that surge that we're already in" as a result of travel around the Thanksgiving holiday.

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TSA says more than 1.1 million travelers flew Sunday after Thanksgiving

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