Thanksgiving Travelers Hit Logan Airport Despite State's New Public Service Campaign Pushing COVID Guidelines
BOSTON (CBS) – Three days before Thanksgiving, passengers lined up for COVID-19 testing at Logan International Airport. "I think it's the only right and responsible thing to do," said Suzanna Dael, who flew in from Denmark to visit family.
Some terminals were empty Monday, while others were close to bustling.
"You know everybody's wearing masks. They're social distancing," said passenger Connie Stevens. "I've already had COVID and it was within the last 90 days," said Jennifer Boutsianis from Montana. "I'm one of the safer people to travel."
Gov. Charlie Baker has been trying to discourage non-essential holiday travel. "My hope is that the folks that do travel recognize and understand that there's an additional responsibility here with respect to how they're dealing with people they're coming in contact with," he said.
His administration introduced a new statewide COVID-19 public awareness campaign on Monday, urging people to follow guidelines so everyone can go back to their normal lives. The TV PSA shows a woman saying "I want to get back to school," and a man saying "I want to get back to live concerts."
Watch: 'Get Back Mass.' Campaign
"We obviously aren't going to be able to predict exactly how people treat this holiday and what we'll be dealing with two weeks from now," said Governor Baker.
That's why passenger Alma Brigandi returned to California Monday after a quick visit with her grandchildren in New Hampshire. "Before the holidays," she said. "When it comes to grandkids, it's very special because you know we're not going to be there for Thanksgiving."
This past weekend, more than 78,000 passengers moved through New England's six major airports. While that's much less than normal, it was the busiest it's been since the pandemic began.