More than ONE MILLION Americans ignored CDC covid guidelines and traveled by plane on Friday: Dr Fauci urges nation to do 'risk-benefit assessment' before Thanksgiving travel

• CDC last week urged Americans to enjoy holidays with people in their household
• Despite that warning, 1,019,836 passengers flew in the United States on Friday 
• Fauci has urged Americans to do 'risk-benefit assessment' before Thanksgiving 
• Health officials are concerned that holiday gatherings will cause cases to spike 
• The US has seen a massive increase in cases with more than 1 million reported in a single week last week, bringing the count to well over 12 million infections 
• There have been at least 255,909 deaths in the US as hospitalizations climb 
• States like California, New York, Illinois and Rhode Island have implemented new lockdown restrictions as coronavirus cases continue to rise in the US  

By VALERIE EDWARDS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM-22 November 2020

More than 1 million people traveled by plane in the United States on Friday despite the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) issuing new guidelines last week as Dr Anthony Fauci urged Americans to do a 'risk-benefit assessment' before Thanksgiving travel.

With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation's top public health agency pleaded with Americans on Thursday not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household.

Despite those warnings, 1,019,836 passengers flew in the US on Friday, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). 

That number is 1.5 million less than on the same day in 2019 and it's the second-highest number of people to travel by air since the pandemic hit the US in March. On October 18, the TSA reported that 1,031,505 people boarded flights. 

Meanwhile, Dr Fauci has urged Americans to really look at the bigger picture before they travel or make plans for the holidays. 

More than 1 million people (pictured in Chicago on Friday) traveled by plane in the United States on Friday despite the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) issuing new guidelines last week

With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation's top public health agency pleaded with Americans (pictured in Chicago on Friday) on Thursday not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household

Despite those warnings, 1,019,836 passengers flew in the US on Friday, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Passengers are seen at the San Francisco International Airport on Friday 

Travel rush at Chicago O'Hare airport ahead of Thanksgiving

'I think the people in this country need to realistically do a risk-benefit assessment,' the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told NBC anchor Chuck Todd on Meet the Press.

'Every family is different. Everyone has a different level of risk that they want to tolerate. 

'But when you think of the holiday season and the congregating indoors at what are innocent, lovely functions, like meals with family and friends, you have got to at least think in terms of evaluating, do you have people in your family that are elderly, that might have underlying conditions, like someone on chemotherapy, or other things that weaken their immune system?'

Fauci said that families should also consider the areas people would be traveling from. 

'Do you really want to get a crowd of 10, 15, 20 people, many of whom are coming in from places where they have gone from crowded airports, to planes, getting into the house?' he said. 

While recognizing that some will host guests this holiday season, Fauci said they should 'at least give you and your family the benefit of having considered what is the risk-benefit of doing that'. 

The CDC's Thanksgiving warning came last week and was some of the firmest guidance yet from the government on curtailing traditional gatherings to fight the outbreak.

Meanwhile, Dr Anthony Fauci (pictured) has urged Americans 'to realistically do a risk-benefit assessment'

 While recognizing that some will host guests this holiday season, Fauci said they should 'at least give you and your family the benefit of having considered what is the risk-benefit of doing that'. This chart shows the states with travel restrictions in place 

More than 12 million cases of the coronavirus have been reported in the US 

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Dr Erin Sauber-Schatz, of the CDC, cited the more than 1 million new cases in the US over a one-week period as the reason for the new guidance. 

'The safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is at home with the people in your household,' she said on Thursday.

If families do decide to include returning college students, military members or others for turkey and stuffing, the CDC is recommending that the hosts take added precautions: Gatherings should be outdoors if possible, with people keeping 6 feet apart and wearing masks and just one person serving the food. 

The deadly comeback by the virus has been blamed in part on pandemic fatigue, or people getting tired of masks and other precautions. And surges were seen over the summer after Memorial Day and July Fourth, despite blunt warnings from health authorities.

The US has had more than 12 million diagnosed infections and at least 255,909 deaths from the coronavirus. CDC scientists believe that somewhere around 40 per cent of people who are infected do not have obvious symptoms but can still spread the virus. 

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