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u.s. news Diabierna 27 november 2020

Americans risk traveling over Thanksgiving despite warnings

(AP) - Millions of Ameri- Once at the airport, Zunick
cans took to the skies and said, she saw poor adherence
the highways ahead of to mask-wearing, loose en-
Thanksgiving at the risk forcement of rules, long lines
of pouring gasoline on the to check baggage and a disre-
coronavirus fire, disre- gard for social distancing in
garding increasingly dire security lines.
warnings that they stay Once she boarded her com-
home and limit their holi- pletely full flight, with
day gatherings to mem- middle seats occupied, she
bers of their own house- watched passengers eat and
hold. drink with their masks pulled
down and sat next to a pas-
Those who are flying wit- senger wearing a loose ban-
nessed a distinctly 2020 land- danna, prompting her to call
scape at the nation’s airports: over a flight attendant, she
plexiglass barriers in front of said.
the ID stations, rapid virus “I said to the stewardess,
testing sites inside terminals, ‘Hey, the person next to me,
masks in check-in areas and is that permitted? Because
on board planes, and paper- it’s making me uncomfort-
work asking passengers to records, soaring to an average those who are angry and dis- adopted precautions. Travel- able.’ They’re like, ‘Oh, yeah,
quarantine on arrival at their of over 174,000 per day. appointed, I humbly ask you ers to Los Angeles, either by that’s fine.’ But it’s not," Zu-
destination. Deaths have surged to more to forgive decisions that are plane or train, were required nick said. "The bottom of it
While the number of Ameri- than 1,600 per day, a mark borne of my heart and not to fill out an online form ac- was open. And it was tied
cans traveling by air over the last seen in May, when the my head,” Hancock said. knowledging California’s re- so loosely that it kept falling
past several days was down crisis in the New York area About 900,000 to 1 mil- quest that people quarantine down throughout the flight
dramatically from the same was easing. lion people per day passed for two weeks after arrival in and he kept messing with it
time last year, many pressed The Centers for Disease through U.S. airport check- the state. and trying to make it tighter
ahead with their holiday Control and Prevention points from Friday through Thea Zunick, 40, boarded and pull it up."
plans amid skyrocketing and state and local authori- Wednesday, a drop-off of a flight from Newark, New Anne Moore, a 60-year-old
deaths, hospitalizations and ties have begged people not around 60% from the same Jersey, to Florida to see her woman from Chicago, flew
confirmed infections across to travel and urged them to time a year ago. Still, those 90-year-old grandmother to Albany, New York, to be
the U.S. keep their Thanksgiving cel- were some of the biggest and her parents. with her daughter for the
Some were tired of more ebrations small. crowds since the COVID-19 "We’ve all kind of decided like holiday and then drive back
than eight months of social “That’ll make sure that your crisis took hold in the U.S. in it’s worth the risk,” Zunick to Illinois with her. Her
distancing and determined to extended family are around March. On Wednesday, the said. “But I wanted to make daughter is a senior at Dart-
spend time with loved ones. to celebrate Christmas and more than 1 million people sure that all the efforts that mouth College, and Moore
“I think with the holidays to celebrate the holidays next screened at airports was the I’ve made to stay healthy isn’t and her husband were wor-
and everything, it’s so impor- year,” Kentucky Gov. Andy largest since the start of the undone by other people’s ried about her driving back
tant right now, especially be- Beshear said. pandemic. carelessness. And absolutely, by herself.
cause people are so bummed But even Denver Mayor Mi- Last year, a record 26 million I know that I’m taking a risk Before the spike, the fam-
out because of the whole chael Hancock flew to Mis- passengers and crew passed by flying. I know that, but ily had planned to hold a
pandemic,” said 25-year-old sissippi to spend Thanksgiv- through U.S. airport screen- sometimes it’s necessary.” Thanksgiving gathering of
Cassidy Zerkle of Phoenix, ing with his wife and young- ing in the 11-day period She isolated at home for days fewer than 10 people. But
who flew to Kansas City, est daughter despite sending around Thanksgiving. before the trip, got a CO- instead it will be just Moore,
Missouri, to visit family dur- messages on social media and More Americans drive than VID-19 test that came back her husband and her daugh-
ing what is traditionally one to city staff asking them to fly during the holiday, and negative and made sure to ter.
of the busiest travel periods avoid traveling for the holi- AAA has projected those choose an early and direct “I have friends who are alone.
of the year. day. He apologized, acknowl- numbers are also likely to be flight. She also masked up And I’m not inviting them.
She brought snacks and her edging that he went against lower this year. How much and layered a face shield on And I feel badly about that,”
own hand sanitizer and said his own public guidance. lower the auto club has not top. she said. "We’ll take a walk or
the flight was half full. She “I made my decision as a said. “I felt like an astronaut, to be something instead. But yeah,
had a row of seats to herself. husband and father, and for Many states and cities have honest,” Zunick said. the three of us are isolating.”
“As long as you’re maintain-
ing your distance, you’re not
touching stuff and you’re
sanitizing your hands, people
should see their families right
now," she said.
The U.S. has recorded more
than 12.7 million coronavirus
infections and over 262,000
deaths. The country is still
missing about eight infec-
tions for every one counted,
according to a new govern-
ment report Wednesday.
Many people don’t get tests,
especially if they don’t have
symptoms.
More than 88,000 people in
the U.S. — an all-time high
— were in the hospital with
COVID-19 as of Tuesday,
pushing the health care sys-
tem in many places to the
breaking point, and new cases
of the virus have been setting