COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Millions of people are expected to travel this holiday season as COVID cases worsen despite warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With COVID infections reaching record numbers, long lines were seen at Albany International Airport on Wednesday. Seeing family was the number one reason why people said they decided to travel.
"I'm really excited to see my dad. I haven't seen him in a while and it's really important to see him now, in the holiday time, which is why we decided to come up, even though the virus is going on, and it's not the best time to travel," said Susan Brzozowski, who's traveling from Miami.
The influx in travel comes as a new strain of the virus has been found that's reportedly 70% more transmittable. Travelers are still taking the risk.
AAA estimates that 85 million people are expected to travel starting December 23 through January 3. That's less than years past, but up from the 50 million who traveled during Thanksgiving where the days following led to record breaking infection numbers.
"We're definitely going to be cautious and obviously try to social distance," said Sydney Bovee who's traveling from South Carolina.
Bovee said having her 15-month-old son Brooks meet his aunts and uncles for the first time, even if it's socially distanced, is worth the hassle.
"Christmas is my favorite time of year. So I really wanted it to be special for him with everything that's going on right now and how it's been really a tough year," Bovee said.
To ease concerns of cleanliness, Albany International Airport has QR Codes around the premise for travelers to see when an area was last sanitized.
