COLUMBUS – Experts say travel volumes will be nearly back to pre-pandemic levels this Thanksgiving holiday weekend, meaning long lines at airports and crowded highways.
The auto club AAA predicts 53.4 million Americans, including nearly 2.2 million Ohioans, plan to travel this holiday weekend, despite gas prices that are over $1 higher than one year ago.
The heaviest traffic will occur Wednesday afternoon and evening as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers. Sunday afternoon will also be busy on the roads as travelers return home, AAA Ohio senior public affairs manager Kimberly Schwind said.
The auto club recommends traveling late Wednesday night and before noon on Sunday.
Officials at John Glenn Columbus International Airport say air travel is back to about 84% of its 2019 levels, with nearly 59,000 passengers expected to pass through the airport on the four busiest days of the holiday weekend: Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday and Monday.
Traveling this holiday season can be safe if you’re fully vaccinated for COVID-19. For those who haven’t gotten their shots, officials advise delaying travel.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also says not to travel if you’re sick, or if you tested positive for COVID-19 and your isolation period isn’t over yet — even if you’re fully vaccinated.
Unvaccinated people who decide to travel should get a COVID-19 test one to three days before travel and three to five days after returning. The agency notes all travelers must still wear masks on planes and other indoor public transportation areas.
The CDC says not to travel if you’re sick, or if you tested positive — even if you’re fully vaccinated.
The CDC recommends that unvaccinated people who decide to travel should get a COVID-19 test one to three days before travel and three to five days after returning.
Holiday season could strain COVID-19 home test supplies as more Americans try to screen themselves before family gatherings.
Columbus Public Health is giving out free home test kits from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday at the Celeste Center at the State Fairgrounds (717 E. 17th Ave.)
The Fairfield Co. Health Dept. is out free tests kits Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. until -11:30 a.m. and from noon until 3:30 p.m. at the Health Department offices (1550 Sheridan Drive, Lancaster)
After weeks of shortages, retail chains like CVS say they have restocked supplies of home tests, which deliver results in about 15 minutes.
But experts warn that a winter surge could easily overwhelm inventory, especially as colder weather and holiday gatherings spark new outbreaks across much of the U.S.