SAN DIEGO — Easter weekend marked the first holiday weekend since California entered the red tier and airport travel is expected to pick up as Spring Break travelers also hit the road.
Millions of people have been vaccinated in the last few months and as COVID-19 cases slowly decline in some places, health officials are easing up on restrictions just in time for spring travel.
“Actually March, we saw the busiest day of the year on March 28. We had about 22,328 people traveling through the airport,” said Nicole Hall, Senior Communications Manager for the San Diego International Airport.
Thousands of people are using the San Diego International Airport to head to popular, spring break vacation spots all over the country. The good news? The CDC says if you’ve been fully vaccinated, it’s safe to travel.
“I think everyone should be vaccinated. We should still be careful. My mom told me the cases are still going up because people think it’s all over and stuff,” said Sophie, who lives in San Diego and is in college.
The CDC’s latest guidelines say if you’re fully vaccinated, you can travel without getting tested or quarantining when traveling in the U.S. People are still being asked to wear a mask, social distance, wash their hands, and avoid crowds.
“Half of my friends, they’re not as safe as I would be. Half are more than safe. It’s like in the middle. But I try not to associate with people that aren’t taking it seriously. I’m from the Bay Area but I live here and I just don’t want to get my mom sick,” Sophie said.
The Transportation Security Administration said it had screened over a million travelers at airports across the country since mid-March.
According to the CDC, only about 30% of the U.S. population has been vaccinated so they’re asking people who have not been vaccinated, to still avoid unnecessary travel.
“We are seeing an increase in passenger travel at this time but we are still down 46% compared to numbers in 2019,” Hall said.
The CDC also says fully vaccinated people can gather with other vaccinated people without a mask. For more information on CDC travel guidelines, go to cdc.gov.
WATCH: As the number of people vaccinated spike, so does the demand for travel