TSA Screens Highest Number of Travelers Ahead of Easter Since Pandemic Began

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said Saturday that more than 1.58 million people were screened at U.S. airports ahead of Easter weekend, in the highest recorded number since the pandemic began.

“TSA screened 1,580,785 people at airport checkpoints nationwide yesterday, Friday, April 2. It was the highest checkpoint throughput since March 12, 2020. So if you’re planning to travel you should get to the airport 90 minutes early, socially distance and wear a mask,” Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokesperson tweeted.

JUST IN: @TSA screened 1,580,785 people at airport checkpoints nationwide yesterday, Friday, April 2. It was the highest checkpoint throughput since March 12, 2020. So if you’re planning to travel you should get to the airport 90 minutes early, socially distance and wear a mask.

  • Mark Kassen, Alex Padilla, Chris Evans posing for the camera: ASP CHAT: Unaccompanied Minors At The Southern Border & Immigration Reform  w/ Senator Alex Padilla

    ASP CHAT: Unaccompanied Minors At The Southern Border & Immigration Reform w/ Senator Alex Padilla

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • Aung San Suu Kyi, Aung San Suu Kyi wearing costumes: Myanmar Coup Protests In Photos

    Myanmar Coup Protests In Photos

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • 'Mortal Kombat' Experience The Phenomenon Clip

    'Mortal Kombat' Experience The Phenomenon Clip

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • Man Punches Subway Passenger In Phone Volume Dispute

    Man Punches Subway Passenger In Phone Volume Dispute

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • a close up of a toy: The Best 'Mario Is Dead' Memes And Jokes

    The Best 'Mario Is Dead' Memes And Jokes

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • Matt Gaetz wearing a suit and tie: Who Is Rep. Matt Gaetz?

    Who Is Rep. Matt Gaetz?

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • a traffic light at night: Child Among 4 Dead In Mass Shooting In Orange County, California: What We Know So Far

    Child Among 4 Dead In Mass Shooting In Orange County, California: What We Know So Far

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • a large ship in a body of water: Seaspiracy Official Trailer - Netflix

    Seaspiracy Official Trailer – Netflix

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • a man sitting at a desk: Witness Breaks Down In Tears After Watching Video Of George Floyd's Arrest: 'I Feel Helpless'

    Witness Breaks Down In Tears After Watching Video Of George Floyd's Arrest: 'I Feel Helpless'

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • a man and a woman posing for a photo: ASP EXPLORES: China's Human Rights And The Uyghurs With Reps. Chrissy Houlahan And Michael Waltz

    ASP EXPLORES: China's Human Rights And The Uyghurs With Reps. Chrissy Houlahan And Michael Waltz

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • a fire truck is parked on the side of a road: Watch: Florida Cop Smashes Door To Rescue Dog From Burning Home

    Watch: Florida Cop Smashes Door To Rescue Dog From Burning Home

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • a man and a woman sitting on a bed: Erik And Virginia Have A Big Fight On 'MAFS' Season 12 Sneak Peek

    Erik And Virginia Have A Big Fight On 'MAFS' Season 12 Sneak Peek

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • Matt Gaetz looking at the camera: Twitter Reacts In Liz Cheney Memes To Matt Gaetz Allegations

    Twitter Reacts In Liz Cheney Memes To Matt Gaetz Allegations

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • a man wearing a suit and tie: This Tense Exchange Between Derek Chauvin Attorney And George Floyd Witness Goes Viral

    This Tense Exchange Between Derek Chauvin Attorney And George Floyd Witness Goes Viral

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer are posing for a picture: New on Netflix April 2021

    New on Netflix April 2021

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • Video Shows Hundreds of Children Packed Into Pods At Migrant Processing Center in Texas

    Video Shows Hundreds of Children Packed Into Pods At Migrant Processing Center in Texas

    Newsweek Logo

    Newsweek

  • Mark Kassen, Alex Padilla, Chris Evans posing for the camera: ASP CHAT: Unaccompanied Minors At The Southern Border & Immigration Reform  w/ Senator Alex Padilla
    ASP CHAT: Unaccompanied Minors At The Southern Border & Immigration Reform w/ Senator Alex Padilla
    Is it really a crisis? Or just a seasonal surge? Whatever it is, it’s got America’s attention. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) talks to Chris Evans and Mark Kassen about unaccompanied minors at the southern border and immigration reform.

    Newsweek Logo
    Newsweek

  • Aung San Suu Kyi, Aung San Suu Kyi wearing costumes: Myanmar Coup Protests In Photos
    Myanmar Coup Protests In Photos
    Mass protests have been taking place in Myanmar in response to a coup by the armed forces. The military seized control on Feb. 1 following a general election in which de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won. Power has been handed over to commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in the country's main cities, alongside a nationwide strike.

    Newsweek Logo
    Newsweek

  • 'Mortal Kombat' Experience The Phenomenon Clip
    'Mortal Kombat' Experience The Phenomenon Clip
    Hanzo Hasashi fights the Lin Kuei in this clip from "Mortal Kombat."

    Newsweek Logo
    Newsweek

UP NEXT

In comparison, on April 2, 2020, only 129,763 people traveled amid nationwide lockdowns and travel restrictions in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the agency.

This weekend’s high travel numbers come after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that fully vaccinated individuals are at low risk of spreading the disease while traveling.

On Friday, the CDC announced that people who are fully inoculated against coronavirus—meaning that they have received both doses of a vaccine that requires a two shot process—are able to travel domestically or internationally without having to self-quarantine.

“Based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic,” the CDC website stated.

However, the agency still recommends that fully vaccinated individuals still wear masks, maintain social distancing, and avoid crowds in public spaces until more information is known about vaccine efficacy.

“Despite the good news on the vaccination front, we simply cannot afford to relax the prevention strategies,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Friday.

So far, more than 100,000 Americans have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, while more than 57 million are fully vaccinated. Last month, President Joe Biden said his goal is to now get 200 million shots in people’s arms by his 100th day in office on April 30th.

The president has also encouraged states, tribes and territories to make all adults eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by May 1. He added that his hope is to get the nation closer to “normal” by the Fourth of July.

“I need you to get vaccinated when it’s your turn,” he said on March 11, “and when you can find an opportunity, help your family, your friends, your neighbors get vaccinated as well.”

Now countries around the world and parts of the U.S. are experimenting with the implementation of “vaccine passports,” or a type of documentation that shows someone has been vaccinated in order to travel, or attend high-capacity events such as concerts or weddings.

New York became the first to implement such a measure last week with a digital passport called the “Excelsior Pass,” that can be downloaded as a QR code on a phone app and scanned as proof of vaccination.

However, the idea has been met with criticism from Republican lawmakers, who view such an initiative as a violation of individual rights. So far, lawmakers in Ohio have moved forward with legislation to ban their use, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order prohibiting them in the state.

Last week, White House Coronavirus Adviser Andy Slavitt said that the federal government would not be responsible for issuing vaccine credentials, or storing citizens’ vaccination information in a database.

Instead, the implementation of vaccine passports will be left to the private sector.

“Unlike other parts of the world, the government here is not viewing its role as the place to create a passport, nor a place to hold the data of—of citizens. We view this as something that the private sector is doing and will do. What’s important to us, and we’re leading an interagency process right now to go through these details, are that some important criteria be met with these credentials,” Slavitt said.

As of Saturday, more than 554,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. while over 30 million have been infected since the start of the pandemic, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Newsweek contacted the White House for an additional comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.

Related Articles

  • Fauci Hits Back at Peter Navarro’s ‘Bizarre’ Father of COVID Comments
  • Nearly 75% of U.S. Seniors Have Gotten At Least One Dose of COVID Vaccine
  • Vermont Under Fire for Distributing COVID Vaccine Based on Race
  • Florida Bans Vaccine Passports by Executive Order: ‘Reduces Individual Freedom’
  • CDC Loosens Travel Restrictions for the Fully Vaccinated After Recent Backlash on Guidance

Start your unlimited Newsweek trial

Source: Read Full Article