TSA screenings rise to highest point since Thanksgiving
The number of people screened at airports Friday reached their highest level since the Thanksgiving holiday, as more countries ease restrictions on travel set during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Transportation Security Administration said it screened 2,241,123 people Friday – the most since the Sunday after last Thanksgiving, when more than 2.4 million people were screened.
The agency screened an additional 1,826,392 people on Saturday and 2,067,788 on Sunday. The three-day total was nearly double the number of people screened during the same period last year but still fell short of 2019 figures.
It’s also the first time screenings topped 2 million since January 2.
Last year, on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, 2,451,300 were screened by the TSA, the highest level since before the start of the pandemic.
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The uptick in screenings comes as more countries open up to visitors by easing restrictions set during the pandemic.
Earlier this month, Australia announced it would open its borders to vaccinated tourists and business travelers starting Monday. Meanwhile, Israel said it will start allowing unvaccinated tourists to enter the country in March.
USA TODAY’s Dawn Gilbertson and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.
