Thanksgiving Day Shopping A Totally Different Experience Due To COVID Crisis
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – On Thursday, hundreds of shoppers learned how different it is to holiday shop during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still, families in face masks worked to cash in on early holiday weekend deals.
BrandsMart USA in Miami Gardens was open for several hours on the holiday.
At competitor Walmart, the business stayed closed on the holiday, as did many other retailers and even shopping malls.
A year ago, places were more crowded with more stores open ahead of Black Friday. But with climbing COVID-19 cases this year, owners moved deals online and kept the lights off until Black Friday.
"Wear a mask and social distance please. Even if you tested negative over the last couple days," CBS News Medical Contributor David Agus said.
Black Friday is still expected to be a busier than a normal shopping day in South Florida and across the nation. Not just online but in-person. Health experts say don't forget that a virus is spreading.
"Listen, 2,100 deaths each of the last two days. Cases going up. We all have to be careful," the doctor said.
The latest numbers are not available. Florida will continue releasing COVID-19 data Friday.
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Miami International Airport had a steady flow of travelers. This is despite CDC warnings encouraging people to stay home.
But some passengers, like Tia Crystal, are traveling because of family emergencies.
Crystal told CBS4's Ty Russell she feels comfortable with the measures in place.
"Wearing face masks and coming into an airport that you're not really wanting to come into at this moment in time but everyone is taking great precautions to make everyone safe," Crystal said.
The airport expects more than 600,000 travelers over the 12-day Thanksgiving holiday period. That's down 60% compared to last year, but still the highest during the pandemic.
While traveling or shopping during this tough time, Crystal said be on alert but not too worried.
"Take care of yourself. It's very smooth. Don't stress," she said.
If you plan to go to Target, you can click here to check wait-times. https://www.target.com/line
