More than 1.3 million passengers travelled through US airports on one day last week.
ADVERTISEMENTCommercial air travel appears to be increasing in the United States even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to restrict many parts of daily life.
There were more than 1.3 million passengers screened at US airport security checkpoints on Friday last week, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) which manages US airport screenings.
It's been a full year since the number of passengers screened was that high, according to Lisa Farbstein, the agency's spokesperson.
"If you choose to fly, wear that mask!" she added in her tweet, emphasising that the last time this many passengers were screened was on 15th March 2020.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that Americans delay travel amid the pandemic, emphasising that, "Travel increases your chance of spreading and getting COVID-19."
The US has recorded more than 29 million positive cases of COVID-19 and suffered more than 530,000 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. It has been widely viewed as having struggled to contain the virus.
But after investing heavily in vaccine development, the country has launched a rapid vaccination campaign. The US has administered more than 100 million vaccine doses and already vaccinated nearly 20% of its population, according to Our World in Data.
On Thursday, US President Joe Biden marked the first anniversary of the pandemic. He said that he hopes to have enough vaccines for all Americans by 1st May.
