US airport traffic climbs to new pandemic-era high

Traffic at airport security checkpoints reached a new high this weekend, crossing 800,000 for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic caused passenger numbers to plummet.

The Transportation Security Administration said it screened 831,789 passengers on Sunday. For comparison, that is 31% of the equivalent 2019 numbers, when the TSA saw more than 2.6 million people on the same day last year.

On average, traffic is about 27% of last year’s numbers.

The TSA has implemented measures to facilitate social distancing at checkpoints, including increasing the distance between passengers as they enter security lines and putting visual reminders of spacing on checkpoint floors. Where feasible, the use of checkpoint lanes is staggered.

Acrylic barriers are being installed in phases at various spots throughout checkpoints to reduce close contact. Travelers are instructed to put their boarding passes on the document scanner and show the boarding pass to the TSA officer for visual inspection rather than handing documents to officers.

TSA officers are required to wear face coverings and gloves.

More than 1,500 TSA employees have tested positive for Covid-19 and six have died.

The number of overall confirmed cases in the United States topped 5 million on Sunday.