ATLANTA — Thanksgiving is just two weeks away and the pandemic may put a dent in some plans.
AAA reports the number of people traveling this year is expected to drop by at least 10 percent. AAA said it would have expected up to 50 million Americans to travel for Thanksgiving. However, that number could be lower because of the pandemic.
Medical experts said if you must travel, it's better to drive.
"Don't rely too much on airport coronavirus screenings. They can give you a false sense of security," said NBC News Senior Medical Correspondent Dr. John Torres.
He pointed to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which shows temperature and symptom based screenings in airports, aren't very effective at catching people who may have COVID19.
"Researches found on average only one case out of 85,000 travelers. So, we know that is a person isn't feeling sick or showing symptoms, they may still have COVID19."
If you do plan to spend time with immediate family, medical experts said now- 14 to 10 days out from Thanksgiving - is the time to start a quarantine. If you can’t, limit your interactions with other people as much as possible.
While some will inevitably travel, others like Brandon McClure plan to stay close to Atlanta this year.
"Occasionally we'll go to Virginia, most of those are elderly people so no, we're not traveling this year. Our immediate family is close by and they are within a couple miles away, so we're hoping for no rain that day so we can have an outdoor gathering."
Some, like Beth Carter are keeping their plans the same, but with less people.
"Everybody has their own families in their own locations and they're wanting to stay where they are and us as well. So, we're just pretty much do our immediate family here."
The nation’s top infectious disease doctor, Dr. Anthony Fauci told NBC News people tend to let their guards down around friends and family. But he said remember, asymptomatic people can spread the virus and to be aware of anyone in your household who is elderly or high risk.
There are online tools to help with assessing the COVID risk in different areas of the country. Click here to view a map that shows the risk level of attending an event, given the size and location.
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