Millions of Americans have been on the move during one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season, as Covid infections with Omicron surpassed the peak of the Delta wave and hospitals ran out of space for patients.
A Christmastime testing crunch compounded the country’s problems, with pharmacy appointments in big cities all booked, government sites overwhelmed and home kits nowhere to be found.
The American Automobile Association has anticipated 109 million people, a 34% increase over 2020 figures, will hit the road, board airplanes, or take other transport on trips 50 miles or longer between December 23 and January 2.
President Joe Biden promised this week to stand up more testing sites and ship out half a billion home kits, beginning January.
At a newly opened federal testing site in New York City’s Travers Park, people on Thursday formed long lines, wearing puffy winter gear to protect against the bone-chilling weather.
“I was planning to meet up with my family, but I might be positive for Covid, so that’s something that I don’t think is going to be happening,” Queens resident Maria Felix said, as she awaited her result.
Government workers also handed out home tests to passersby on the street –– but with only 2,000 set aside for each of the five boroughs in a city of 8.4 million, the items are set to remain scarce for some time to come.
“It is so sad that only 2,000 tests are available,” said resident Jocelyn Antigua, who wanted to be sure of her Covid status before meeting her elderly parents.
But there was little sign of testing holdups deterring travel: American Airlines, for instance, said it was operating 5,000 daily flights between December 19 and January 1, representing 86 percent of capacity compared to 2019.
“There is tremendous pent-up demand for air travel,” a spokesperson said.
