TSA reports record number of pandemic-era air travelers

Crowds of travelers have flooded the Westchester County Airport, with many taking the opportunity to escape the state after getting fully vaccinated.

News 12 Staff

Mar 23, 2021, 12:56 AM

Updated 1,292 days ago

Share:

A record number of travelers are returning to the skies as the pandemic continues.
The TSA screened a whopping 1.5 million people at U.S. airports Sunday.
Crowds of travelers have flooded the Westchester County Airport, with many taking the opportunity to escape the state after getting fully vaccinated.
Traveler Sol Packer says he is heading to Florida -- one of the few states fully open.
The Sunshine State has received waves of spring breakers, sparking fears of another surge in COVID-19 cases.
Packer says his family isn't letting down their guard, but he desperately needs a break from the oppression of the pandemic.
"Just being able to sit outside and relax outside as opposed to just being within the confines of four walls, you feel a lot better," says Packer.
Kids are also taking to the skies for the first time in a year.
Twelve-year-old Emma and her family are flying to Florida. She says she is wearing two masks, a Centers for Disease Control recommendation for travelers.
The CDC also recommends that people get fully vaccinated, avoid crowds, maintain social distancing and get tested for COVID-19 three to five days after a trip.
Travelers like Packer are even taking it a step further.
"Our children actually kept their kids out of school for the week to quarantine them, so when we are down there, I guess we will be able to hug them," says Packer.
Beginning April 1, domestic travelers into New York will no longer be required to quarantine, but international travelers will still be required to quarantine for 10 days.
Although travel restrictions will ease next month, the state's Health Department is still requiring travelers to watch for symptoms for two weeks after arriving - and self-isolate if they appear.