COVID Live Updates: Despite CDC travel advisory, TSA screened 1M+ travelers Friday

COVID-19 Live Updates, News and Information

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Monday, November 23, 2020

CDC: Keep Thanksgiving get-togethers small

The CDC is advising families to keep Thanksgiving get-togethers small and close to home.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Despite the CDC's new guidance this week advising Americans against traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday, daily figures show TSA processed 1,019,836 passengers on Friday.

That's the second-highest number since March 17 (1,031,505 passengers were screened on October 18).

That's still down more than 1.5 million passengers from a year ago the same day.

The CDC says "the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people you live with."

What to know about coronavirus:

Where to get tested in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut

Coronavirus by zip code - New York City

How coronavirus changed the New York region

Do you have coronavirus symptoms?

NYC COVID-19 positivity rate tracker

Here are more of today's headlines:

Long Island high school to go full remote

Freeport High School will transition to full remote learning on Monday, Nov. 23, and Tuesday, Nov. 24 due to a positive COVID case. The Nassau County Department of Health will conduct contact tracing and notification.

State makes school decisions once positivity rate is over 3%, Cuomo says

As long as the seven-day average is lower than 3%, Gov. Andrew Cuomo says schools in New York may reopen. In New York City, public schools have been shut down due to the city reporting a positivity rate above 3% -- although according to the state's metrics, schools would still be open. He also gave local governments the thumbs up to make school decisions as long as the positivity rate is below 3%. However, he said once the citywide positivity surpasses 3% under the state's calculations, the state restrictions will take over.

https://abc7ny.com/health/cuomo-state-makes-school-decisions-once-positivity-rate-is-over-3%25/8175437/

Cuomo: 'Staten Island is a serious problem'

Governor Andrew Cuomo says Staten Island is a serious problem and is heading into a red zone in some parts. He says "we're running into a hospital capacity issue on Staten Island." In addition, Cuomo said he believes that parts of Upper Manhattan and Long Island are going to go into a yellow zone as soon as this week.

FDA allows emergency use of Regeneron's antibody drug

U.S. health officials Saturday agreed to allow emergency use of a second antibody drug to help the immune system fight COVID-19, an experimental medicine that President Donald Trump was given when he was sickened last month.

COVID tests for flights

Three COVID tests before and after getting on international flights -- that's what's recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. According to the agency, the first test should come back negative one to three days before traveling. The same procedure is suggested for the return leg of the trip. A third test should happen three to five days after an international traveler gets back home even after a negative result, the agency suggests a one week quarantine.

NYC small business owners to hold rally

With the number of cases continuing to rise, the latest round of restrictions could come as soon as early next week. The businesses that will likely be most affected by it are restaurants and other small businesses - already struggling to stay open. Many are expected to rally Sunday in the fight for help.

Most infections spread by asymptomatic people: CDC

The Centers for Disease Control has determined that most coronavirus infections are spread by people who don't display symptoms. Those findings were published Friday on the agency's website. According to the CDC, 24 percent of spread is from asymptomatic people compared to 41 percent that comes from people experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. The remaining third are from those who are believed to be pre-symptomatic.

Motorcycle rally sparked dozens of cases, CDC says

When nearly a half-million motorcycle enthusiasts gathered in South Dakota this summer, health experts worried the gathering would ignite new outbreaks of coronavirus cases.

Teen who met grandma from accidental text shares Thanksgiving plans after COVID-19 loss

An Arizona grandmother and a teenager (now grown-up) have carried on a Thanksgiving tradition for years -- all because of a text that was sent to the wrong person.

Know your NYC COVID Zone

You can find your COVID zone at NYC.gov/covidzone.