Concerns Rise From Large Crowds At O'Hare Ahead Of Thanksgiving

ROSEMONT, Ill.- While O'Hare International Airport has seen mostly light traffic in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a large uptake in travelers due to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

Although the airport does have strict guidelines in place to curb the spread of the virus, there are concerns that the close quarters could cause a spike in new cases. While social distancing and mask-wearing has been strictly enforced inside the building, it may not be enough to stop the spread given the sheer amount of travelers that have already passed through the terminals over the weekend.

O'Hare's website states that "the CDA [Chicago Department of Aviation] has taken every precaution to keep our travelers and those individuals that work at our airports safe." Despite this, a report by NBC Chicago noted numerous crowds and very long lines this past Friday, Nov. 20 in advance of the busy Thanksgiving travel period.

Serving as Chicago's main airport since the 1950s, O'Hare has risen to become one of the globe's major travel hubs, serving approximately 85 million passengers in 2019. It was ranked as the sixth-busiest airport in the world as recently as 2018.

While the number of passengers at O'Hare has been steadily growing year-after-year, 2020 saw the numbers plummet due to the coronavirus. In April, at the height of the pandemic's first wave, data shows that the airport saw less than 350,000 passengers, and only 25,000 international flyers. Year-to-date has seen only 20.8 million domestic passengers, compared to 52.6 million domestic passengers at this same time last year.

Although the numbers as a whole are down this year, there are still concerns that the sudden uptake of passengers within the enclosed areas could cause the virus to spread rapidly. Particular concern was directed towards the security lines, where passengers often congregate and the waiting time to get through the checkpoint can be long during peak travel times.

According to the CDA, drive-up Covid-19 testing stations are being set up at both O'Hare and Chicago Midway International Airport, which will be available for both air travelers and airport employees. The station at Midway will reportedly be set up Tuesday, Nov. 24, with no date set yet for O'Hare. The CDA says that the O'Hare testing site will feature "a walk-up, pre-security site in the terminal area as well as a drive-up testing site in a remote parking lot."

The uptake in travel this week is part of a larger problem in the United States as millions of Americans are heading to the skies for Thanksgiving. This is in spite of desperate pleas by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to stay home, social distance and celebrate the holiday virtually. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported that 2 million people went through American airports on Friday and Saturday. This was the largest traffic number recorded since March.

In addition to advising people to celebrate virtually, the CDC also released a list of helpful Thanksgiving tips for for those who do gather in person. These include being aware of the location and duration of gatherings, hosting activities outside rather than indoors, and making sure to stay six feet apart from others and wearing a mask.

Thanksgiving Day is this Thursday, Nov. 26.