On the eve of Thanksgiving, roads in the Chicago area were filled with more vehicles than normal, given we're in the middle of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
AAA reports 95% of Thanksgiving travelers were driving to their destinations this year. Airport foot traffic was expected to be down by nearly 50%.
Still, O’Hare had a steady flow of passengers arriving and departing throughout the day on Wednesday.
“Here it seems like it’s not that busy. We’ll have to see how it is in Newark because we’re seeing that the flights are full there,” said passenger Srividhya Viswanathan.
Viswanathan’s family told NBC 5 their flight from Portland to Chicago appeared to be just 25% full.
Amtrak capped off coach seat sales at 50% per train due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ordinarily, Thanksgiving is its busiest time of the year, according to Amtrak.
Local
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, GasBuddy reported prices at the pump were down 37 cents compared to last year.
Despite the CDC urging Americans to stay home for the holiday, those who decided to travel cited isolation and family needs.
But some Chicagoans are taking the CDC recommendation seriously, not even travelling locally.
"We [are] getting some macaroni and cheese so we can bake it tonight. Nobody is coming over," said Robert Gains. "It’s getting out of hand, and it’s serious out here with this COVID, so you have to stay home."
"I'm very upset about not seeing my family either," said Vickey Guerra. "It’s depressing, but COVID is very scary."
