TSA screens lowest number of passengers at airport checkpoints since April
Checkpoint volume hasn't been this low since April 2021
The Transportation Security Administration screened just over 1.1 million people at U.S. airport security checkpoints on Tuesday, the lowest volume since April, as the omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to sweep the nation.
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In April 2021 "there was a string of days with volume hovering slightly above the 1 million mark," according to spokesperson Lisa Farbstein.
Farbstein announced on Sunday that the TSA screened over 1.6 million people which was the "lowest checkpoint volume on a Sunday" since early September 2021.
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It was a different story a few weeks ago when traffic was buzzing at airports for the holiday season. Checkpoint volume just a few days before Christmas even surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
However, health officials fear daily life around the nation may be upended once again as cases continue to surge and the entire nation faces high levels of community transmission.
"The Omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky previously said.
The omicron variant is the dominant variant in the U.S., accounting for about 95% of the cases, according to the CDC's latest projections.
The U.S. tallied more than 1.4 million new COVID-19 cases on Monday, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.