Photos show crowded airports during Christmas as Americans buck the CDC's recommendation to stay home
Allana Akhtar
Travelers wearing face masks arrive at Orlando International Airport on the day before Christmas.Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images
- Photos of crowded US airports during the Christmas holiday showed how many Americans ignored the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation to stay home.
- The US has reported record COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations this month, with more than 19 million cases nationwide.
- As of December 28, Southern California and San Joaquin Valley regions reported 0% available ICU beds.
- Anthony Fauci said the COVID-19 surge "might actually get worse" after the Christmas and New Year's holidays.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the best way for Americans to celebrate December holidays was to stay home.
Air travelers wait to board a plane in Newark Liberty International Airport on December 24, 2020 in New Jersey.
Noam Galai/Getty Images
Source: Business Insider
Still, 1.19 million travelers passed through airports the day before Christmas Eve, the highest number since March, according to the Transportation and Security Administration.
Travelers pass through O'Hare International Airport on December 23 in Chicago, Illinois
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Source: Business Insider
Healthcare workers had said they expect the post-Christmas COVID-19 surge to be worse than the outbreak after Thanksgiving.
Travelers wait in the security line at Denver International Airport on Dec. 22.
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a stay-at-home order in December in parts of California due to high ICU capacity.
Travelers wait to check in luggage at the Los Angeles International Airport on Dec. 23.
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
Source: Business Insider
As of December 28, Southern California and San Joaquin Valley regions reported 0% available ICU beds.
Travelers exit a terminal at the Los Angeles International Airport on Dec. 23.
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
Source: LA Times
Anthony Fauci said the COVID-19 surge "might actually get worse" after the Christmas and New Year's holidays.
Passengers walk through a crowded terminal at Dulles International airport in Dulles, Virginia on December 27, 2020.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
Source: Business Insider
The United Kingdom went into a restrictive lockdown before Christmas after reporting a new coronavirus strain that might be more contagious.
Travelers wait in crowded lines without keeping the CDC-recommended six feed of distance at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport on December 22.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Source: Business Insider
Leading disease experts, like Fauci and former Food and Drug Administration chief Scott Gottlieb, said the new strain is likely already in the US.
Holiday season travelers walk through a terminal at Miami International Airport on December 24.
DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images
LA County began testing for the variant coronavirus strain around Christmas time.
Travelers wear face masks while passing through the south security checkpoint in the main terminal of Denver International Airport Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020.
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Source: Business Insider
The CDC recently said 1 million Americans received initial COVID-19 vaccine doses within 10 days of the Pfizer vaccine gaining FDA authorization on December 11. The CDC had recommended healthcare workers and nursing home residents get inoculated first.
A flight crew member walks through a Delta terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Dec. 22, 2020, in Atlanta.
AP Photo/Sophia Tulp
Source: Business Insider
But some healthcare workers said vaccines may not curb a COVID-19 surge after Christmas.
A passenger approaches two airline workers in Christmas themed headwear at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington, Virginia on December 22.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Source: Business Insider
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