MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
It was a beautiful weekend weather-wise for the Memorial Day celebrations, and many took advantage of it, but doctors are concerned summer time gathering at watering holes and shorelines could send COVID-19 cases to spike.
Travel experts anticipate travel will continue to trend up as stay-at-home restrictions ease up, whether that's by plane, train, or automobile. When we get away to the lake or vacation, we tend to let go. As the restrictions ease up and travel becomes more available, don't forget to pack your social distancing and hygiene practices. We are still in the middle of a global health crisis.
"In terms of airport traffic, we've seen a slow steady increase the past few weeks and that really culminated this weekend on Friday," said Glen Thomas of Memphis International Airport.
Though at about 6,000 travelers, it's nowhere near last year's Memorial Day holiday travel, but for a world changed by a pandemic, it's notable.
"We encourage passengers now to wear masks or facial coverings and most if not all airlines are requiring facial coverings to board," said Thomas.
But for some, that's where COVID-19 precautions ended as pictures like this from Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri emerged of a pool party at a local bar. People were close together and not wearing masks.
The Backwater Jacks bar owner defended his decision to hold the party as officials in St. Louis, just about 4 hours from Memphis, are now requiring people who visited Lake of the Ozarks to undergo a 14-day quarantine to discourage possible spread of potential virus in revelers’ home communities.
Local infectious disease doctor Stephen Threlkeld says that the number of COVID-19 cases in our area are fairly low, but as we relax restrictions and travel picks up that could very well change.
"If we continue to socially isolate in ways that I don't think we can, that society doesn't seem to be willing to keep up, we've seen those pictures of the beaches and the pools on Memorial Day, we may see a spike from that," said Dr. Threlkeld.