Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/11/30/despite-covid-risk-1-2-million-people-passed-through-u-s-airports-sunday-highest-air-travel-day-since-pandemic-began.html
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The next few weeks (and months) are going to be really rough in some places; infections were already increasing in most states. I hate to admit it, but as a nation, we’re idiots
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The fact every airport wasn’t closed down by the FAA tells me that we’re all going to die to make good numbers on the next quarterly report.
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Collectively as a nation we are too stupid to live 
And I’m pretty sure the GOP is going to start calling all of these issues Biden’s fault before he’s even sworn into office.
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They were already blaming him for trump’s screw ups before the election
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Speak for yourself…
ETA different gif
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Here’s one case of a potential carrier having gone thru the airport system and flight (s?):
A worker friend of my wife flew out to be with their family over the Holiday. A no mask visit apparently. Upon her return and while still sitting in an airport waiting for a flight she gets a call informing her that her sister, whom she just said goodbye to hours earlier, was feeling sick. The sister ultimately tests positive for COVID. Now the entire family quarantines and waits.
So, how many of those 1.2 million travelers will have similar stories?
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my coworker got off a plane one day, got a negative covid test the next, and is now headed back to work.
what could possibly go wrong? 
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Roger that; I don’t just lay down and ‘give up the ghost,’ not ever.
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But if they close every airport how will your vaccines get delivered? How would emergency workers get to hot spots?
How will your food, mail, packages etc.
Public transportation can’t shut down completely. Not roads, not trains, not airports.
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Airlines should have suspended commercial passenger traffic six months ago. Especially transcontinental flights. Much too late now. The COVID cat has sailed outta that bag.
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Despite COVID risk, 1.2 million selfish and entitled morons passed through U.S. airports Sunday, highest air travel day since pandemic began
Headline fixed for accuracy.
There are jerks like this in every country, but the U.S. has glorified this behaviour to the point where it has a disproportionate share.
There you go, ruining a hot take again with your facts and reality.
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These people must really enjoy traveling for the holidays, cuz 2020 gave us all the best excuse in the world to not have to schlep our shit across the country for some mashed potatoes and awkward cousin talk and yet…here we are.
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It’s not your major holiday disease vector opportunity
About 50 million traveled. Almost all by car. Roughly the same amount as trains - no idea how many by local public transportation.
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Transcontinental flights were mostly nonexistent. Traffic was down to 3% in the beginning.
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Luckily, in that specific case, it’s unlikely the traveler was far enough along in her incubation period to be contagious. But many thousands of others were probably at peak shedding. 
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For example, I’m traveling today for work, in order to train medical staff on new medical equipment. We did an initial training via video conference, but there are things that just don’t click until you use the system. So I’m going there in person to do cases with them and coach from the sidelines.
My only other work trip since last winter was a similar case, where I coached medical staff in using a new medical technology to save a woman’s leg. It’s not about the bottom line. It’s about helping people.
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Pretty much - airports aren’t making money by keeping facilities open for travel right now. They’re all losing it hand over fist. Just like the concession businesses there - basically trying to make it through and provide some level of service to those who have to travel.
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The next week will tell us how many people actually went ahead with big Thanksgivings, as new cases due to the nation-wide super-spreader event will become obvious.
I wonder if the death toll from it, which will be in late December, will put any dent on people’s Christmas plans. I suspect it will, because the numbers will get pretty shocking, pretty fast. We’re already at the point where hospitals are full , so now we get to start seeing the survival rate when people don’t get medical care. Based on the death rates in countries whose medical systems got overloaded (e.g. Mexico), we’ll likely be looking at a 10% death rate going forward, not 2%.
By the time Biden comes into office, the death toll will quite probably be exceeding a million in this country, since it’s an exponential curve and the death rate will multiply as the extremely sick get denied medical care entirely. You bet they’re going to come up with some reasons why this is all his fault.
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