Although fewer in number than last year, U.S. travelers - some with negative COVID-19 test results - were flocking to airports, train stations and highways ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, against the advice of U.S. health experts.
This report produced by Jillian Kitchener.
As the holidays quickly approach, being negative has become a positive trait.
Lines for COVID-19 testing are growing in Washington, DC - and nationwide - as many Americans seek a negative test result before they show up for Thanksgiving dinner… even as health officials warn against indoor gatherings with extended family members.
”My grandmother is turning 100 in a couple of weeks and in order for me to even be within 20 feet of her my family decided that I would need a negative test and Holly as well…” "I'm expecting about five or six people, but I'm not going to be sitting still with them.
I'm going to go, pick up a plate, say hello from a distance, and bounce.
But again, even with that limited amount of interaction I don't want to bring anything to them.” Spreading the virus on Thanksgiving is a big concern for U.S. health officials.
As U.S. infections soar to a new record of 168,000 new cases per day on average, health authorities are strongly warning against holiday travel.
A warning millions of Americans appeared to be disregarding… Some one million passengers passed through airport security gates on Sunday, the highest number since March.
Trains are also filling up.
Stephen Clapp took one from New York to Washington, DC: "I've been quarantining this weekend.
I tested negative so that's why I'm here." But even with a negative COVID-19 test result, the virus could be picked up while traveling, says New York Governor Andrew Cuomo: “Getting a test is better than not getting a test.
But if you test negative today, that doesn’t mean you’re negative tomorrow.” Health officials fear the holiday may aid in fueling infections before a series of promising new vaccines are expected to become widely available.
