Vacation travel increases despite warnings from CDC (photos) | The Weather Channel – The Weather Channel Articles

A man receives a COVID-19 test with a nasal smear at Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak in Southern California on December 22, 2020, Los Angeles, California.  Tests are not mandatory and results are returned within 24 hours to help travelers avoid quarantine at their destinations.  TSA agents tracked more than 1 million people for three consecutive days last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the start of the traditional holiday travel season, for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.  (Mario Tama / Getty Images)

A man receives a COVID-19 test with a nasal smear at Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak in Southern California on December 22, 2020, Los Angeles, California. Tests are not mandatory and results are returned within 24 hours to help travelers avoid quarantine at their destinations. TSA agents tracked more than 1 million people for three consecutive days last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the start of the traditional holiday travel season, for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. (Mario Tama / Getty Images)

Air travel exceeded 1 million daily passengers in the United States during the weekend before Christmas, TSA reported, breaking the record for the highest number of weekend travelers since the pandemic hit the country in March.

Although daily numbers remain less than half of the travelers tracked last year, according to The Washington Post, the 3.2 million passengers traveling on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays surpassed Thanksgiving travel numbers and mark the only time during the pandemic in which more than 1 million passengers boarded planes three days in a row. The number of passengers fell just under 1 million on Monday and Tuesday.

Health officials have warned Americans to stay home during this holiday season and to keep holiday celebrations small. The CDC encouraged virtual meetings and for families to celebrate with people in their own homes to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

But the numbers show that many are not discouraged by the pandemic. The CDC asked those traveling to purchase COVID-19 tests before and after, but the tests are not mandatory.

The death toll could reach 450,000 in February, warned the CDC earlier this month.

MORE FROM WEATHER.COM: The photos that defined 2020

A member of the Honduran Air Force is hanging from a helicopter ladder while rescuing a man after the Chamelecon River overflowed after the passage of Hurricane Iota in the municipality of Choloma, Department of Cortes, Honduras, on November 19, 2020. A the year's biggest Atlantic storm caused landslides, destroyed buildings and left thousands homeless across Central America, revisiting areas devastated by another hurricane just two weeks ago.  (Orlando Sierra / AFP via Getty Images)

A member of the Honduran Air Force hangs from a helicopter ladder while rescuing a man after the overflow of the Chamelecon River after the passage of Hurricane Iota, in the municipality of Choloma, department of Cortes, in Honduras, on November 19, 2020. The biggest Atlantic storm of the year triggered landslides, destroyed buildings and left thousands homeless across Central America, revisiting areas devastated by another hurricane just two weeks ago. (Orlando Sierra / AFP via Getty Images)

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