ATLANTA — COVID-19 positivity rates in Georgia still remain high after Christmas and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned people against traveling for the holidays.
But with some still gathering, health experts are hoping people will follow the guidance on what to do once they get home.
Experts say that if you are one of the ones who traveled, you should quarantine and also get tested when you get back.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reports more than 1.1 million people still flew the day before Christmas Eve - the highest they’ve seen since mid-March.
COVID-19 numbers in Georgia are also breaking records. Within the past week, the state surpassed previous records for both single day cases and single day hospitalizations.
On Saturday, cases were lower at about 3,679. But many testing centers were closed on Christmas and positivity rates are still high at 15 percent.
After Thanksgiving travel, this was what doctors were worried about heading into Christmas.
“This concept of safe travel, it just doesn’t exist. You can’t glove, sanitize, and try to test your way out of that risk. It’s virtually impossible,” said Dr. Vin Gupta from the University of Washington.
Nearly every single metric in Georgia has gone up over the last week: testing, cases, hospitalizations, ventilator usage, and death.
The CDC recommends people get tested between three to five days after getting back home.
Experts want to remind people a negative test is like a snapshot in time. So you still should follow CDC guidelines like social distancing and wearing masks.