Delta Variant Concerns Put Pause On Some Labor Day Weekend Plans
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The holiday weekend is approaching, but with rising concerns over the Delta variant, are people still traveling?
Labor Day weekend is usually the last chance for a summer getaway.
"I'm gonna go to Miami," one person told CBS2's Alice Gainer.
"I'm not going anywhere because of the Delta variant," Somerville, New Jersey, resident Shaelyn Schiff said.
"Undecided," another person said.
"I definitely wouldn't want to travel around this period of time," Somerville, New Jersey, resident Alex Kyllonen said.
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"A surprising number of people are flying internationally," said Robert Sinclair Jr., with AAA Northeast.
AAA says the five most popular destinations this weekend amongst people in the five boroughs, Long Island and Westchester are the resorts of Jamaica, Orlando, Germany and other parts of Europe, Miami and Fort Lauderdale and Las Vegas.
Number eight on the list is Honolulu, Hawaii, but its governor has asked tourists to stay away.
Canada's border recently reopened to United States citizens, but Monday, the U.S. State Department urged Americans to "reconsider" travel there.
Meanwhile, the European Union removed the U.S. from its safe travel list.
Volume at the airports is lower.
The Transportation Security Administration says it screened more than 1.3 million people at security checkpoints Tuesday.
The last time it was that low was May 18, when it was 1.4 million.
JUST IN: @TSA screened 1,345,064 people at airport security checkpoints yesterday, Tuesday, August 31. When was the last time checkpoint volume was that low? Find out on the TSA website here: https://t.co/XsXS2VEfKY
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) September 1, 2021
Is it the usual end-of-summer slump or are people worried?
A recent survey from Cars.com found that "rising concerns" forced a fifth of those planning to fly to cancel their tickets and drive instead.
"Driving is still number one with a bullet. We saw it for Memorial Day and Fourth of July, that upwards of 94% of those who traveled for those holidays drove," Sinclair said.
The director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says they recommend anyone who is unvaccinated not travel for the holiday weekend.
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"I was one of those people who got a breakthrough infection," said Sree Sreenivasan, of Manhattan.
He is fully vaccinated but recently traveled in the U.S. and has a warning.
"When you travel, you're more likely to be careful in some parts and then letting your guard down in others and here we are," he said.
A reminder if you are headed somewhere - make sure you check to see what restrictions, if any, are in place and whether or not you can still go.