ROMULUS, MI (WXYZ) — The TSA is predicting December 23 to be one of the busiest travel days of the year.
And as Michiganders are waking up to hop into the car and visit grandmas, or take a flight out of town for Christmas, health officials remind them to grab a mask.
"If you're around people who let's say you go to a holiday party, the host didn't ask for testing or vaccination, and you don't really know who else is vaccinated there. It does make sense to be masked, again, the same in a grocery store or a large gathering," Univerity of Michigan Health Doctor Payal Patel said.
At the airport, masks are required inside and on the planes, but a new study suggests that passengers double mask - or wear an n-95 mask when traveling via air.
AAA says airlines will carry over 6 million passengers this year. That's almost triple the number from last year.
More than 109 million Americans and 3.3 million Michigan residents are expected to travel for the holidays. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky says people should go into the festive season with caution.
"Holiday gatherings and risks of travel really has less to do with the airplane or car ride and much more to do with how people from different households behave in the weeks to days before meeting up," Walensky said.
If you're welcoming people into your home, Doctor Patel says you can go that extra step and ask people to get a COVID test 24 hours before your party.
"That would be the best and safest way to get together this holiday season," she said.
Some do's and dont's:
- Give yourself plenty of time at the airport. Lines are expected to be long.
- Don't wrap your gifts before going through security.
- Don't forget your mask when traveling
- Be kind to one another
