Travel

RDU prepares for crowds this week as doctors share travel concerns

On Monday, travelers will pack the Raleigh-Durham International Airport as doctors urge people to be cautious of COVID-19 over the holidays.

Posted Updated

By
Kasey Cunningham
, WRAL reporter
MORRISVILLE, N.C. — On Monday, travelers will pack the Raleigh-Durham International Airport as doctors urge people to be cautious of COVID-19 over the holidays.

The airport is predicting there will be almost 500,000 travelers passing through the airport between Monday and New Year's Day. The Thursday before Christmas is expected to be the busiest travel day of the week.

There will be more law enforcement officers at the airport, planners say, along with more signs to direct drivers to available parking.

WRAL News spoke with doctors about the risk of traveling as COVID-19 cases rise. They said there’s concern, especially when you combine travel, the spread of the omicron variant and getting together for the holidays, which together could lead to a spike in cases after the holidays.

"It’s creating, for me, a perfect storm," said Dr. Thomas Denny, Chief Operating Officer of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute. "I don’t see how we don’t see a high rate of omicron being present by the time we get to January."

On Monday, when the state releases its weekend data, we'll learn if COVID-19 cases are still on rise in North Carolina. The most recent numbers from Friday show the average number of new infections is at its highest point since mid-October.

About 21 people die from the virus in the state each day.

Doctors say it's a good idea to get a COVID-19 test before gathering with family, whether it's a rapid test or a PCR test.

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