Wednesday, 25 November 2020 _Millions of Americans appeared to be disregarding public health warnings and traveling ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, likely fueling an alarming surge in coronavirus infections before a series of promising new vaccines are expected to become widely available.
Although fewer in number than last year, US travelers were flocking to airports and highways against the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US surgeon general and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert.
As US infections of the highly contagious respiratory virus continued to spread swiftly, hitting a new record of 168,000 new cases per day on average, many travelers expressed equal parts of determination and dread.
“I’m really scared, but seeing family is very important to me,” Hannah Osnan, 18, a California State University Long Beach student waiting in line for a COVID-19 diagnostic test at Los Angeles International Airport, where she hoped to board a 22-hour flight to see family in Egypt for the first time in a year.
The long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, which begins on Thursday, is traditionally the busiest US travel period of the year, and 2020 may prove to be no exception.
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