AP-US-Virus-Outbreak, 2nd Ld-Writethru

Nov 23, 2020 12:39PM (GMT 18:39)

Despite emphatic warnings from public health authorities to stay home for Thanksgiving, millions of Americans are crowding the nation’s airports ahead of the holiday, many of them unwilling to miss out on seeing family and convinced they can do it safely.

More than 3 million people were screened at U.S. airports on Friday and Saturday, according to the Transportation Security Administration. That is the busiest stretch of air travel since mid-March.

Still, the number of travelers crowding airports this weekend was down 57% from the same weekend last year. In 2019, a record 26 million passengers and crew passed through U.S. airport screening in the 11-day period around Thanksgiving.