US Airports Busiest Since March... 1.3 Million Travelers Per Day

US Transportation Safety Administration Reports "Year-End and New Year Travelers Surge"
Biden Urges Travel Restraint... "Protect Your Family's Safety"

On the 28th (local time), travelers wearing masks lined up to pass through security checkpoints at Miami International Airport in Florida, USA. The number of travelers within the United States reached over 1.3 million in a single day on the 27th, marking the highest figure since last March. Although the U.S. government advised people to refrain from traveling to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it has been insufficient to stop travelers. Miami, USA = AP·Yonhap [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] The number of travelers using flights in the United States during Christmas and the year-end holidays has reached its highest level since March. This has raised concerns that the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) will intensify further. Although U.S. health authorities are advising against unnecessary travel, the number of travelers taking trips for vacations and home visits during the holiday period is surging. With the start of vaccination, awareness of quarantine rules has decreased, and the spread is expected to worsen.

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 28th (local time), the U.S. Federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that the number of travelers passing through airport checkpoints in the U.S. in one day reached 1,284,599, marking the highest number since the COVID-19 outbreak on March 15. According to the NYT, this is the first time since March that the daily number of air travelers during holiday periods such as Thanksgiving and Christmas has exceeded one million.

During the Christmas holiday period from the 23rd to the 26th, about 3.8 million travelers passed through airport checkpoints. This phenomenon is interpreted as a result of the growing travel demand ahead of the year-end holidays and the expectations for COVID-19 eradication following the start of vaccination in the U.S.

Despite requests from U.S. health authorities to refrain from traveling, the number of travelers is not decreasing. Earlier, President-elect Joe Biden urged on Twitter on Christmas Day, December 25, saying, "We miss our families, but we need to keep them safe," and called for reducing the size of family gatherings and refraining from travel this year-end.

Meanwhile, according to COVID-19 statistics from Johns Hopkins University, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the U.S. exceeded 19 million on the 26th, with the spread showing no signs of slowing. Considering that new case testing is not being properly conducted nationwide during the Christmas and New Year holidays, there are concerns that the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the U.S. will increase rapidly after the holidays.