MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The number of people vaccinated is going up and cases of COVID-19 are going down, but the CDC said now is still not the time to travel.
"Every time that there is a surge in travel, we have a surge of cases,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said.
Memphis International Airport spokesman Glen Thomas said they do expect it to be a bit busier than a “COVID” normal. Before heading into the spring break vacation mode, the airport was already seeing an uptick in travelers.
“Last week, I believe we were down 41% compared to last year, and we’ve been running about 50% down. So you can definitely see some increases in travel - whether it’s spring travel or comfort level increasing with vaccines,” Thomas said.
Thomas said last Friday was the airport’s single busiest day in a year.
“I think there’s definitely a sense of optimism,” he said. “People are getting vaccinated, cases are going down. Certainly, we’re not out of the gate by any means.”
While the CDC recommends not traveling this spring break, the organization said those that do should wait until two weeks after being fully vaccinated before going wheels up on vacation. The CDC said people should also take precautions as if they weren’t vaccinated. That includes mask-wearing in public and social distancing.
Thomas said the airport is helped out by the fact that Shelby County Schools altered its school year, pushing its break to the end of the month. They expect their peak spring travel dates will now be March 11 to 14 and March 25 to 28.
“That really helps in terms of there’s not a huge single day or single week surge for us. But it’s still going to be busier than usual and we want to make sure passengers are aware of that,” Thomas said.
Thomas noted an uptick in first-time passengers likely due to cheaper flight tickets, he said. He reminds travelers to follow the airport’s golden rule: arrive 90 minutes early for flights.
