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2 million board US flights for 1st time since onset of COVID-19 pandemic

The Transportation Security Administration on Friday screened more than 2 million people for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, multiple media outlets reported.

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A total of 2,028,961 were screened by TSA agents that day, or roughly four times the number screened on the same day in 2020, and only about three-quarters of the number screened on the same day in 2019, according to the agency.

“The growing number of travelers demonstrates this country’s resilience and the high level of confidence in COVID-19 countermeasures, to include ready access to vaccines,” TSA Acting Administrator Darby LaJoye said in a Saturday news release. “TSA stands ready to provide a safe and secure screening process as part of the overall travel experience.”

Prior to the pandemic, the TSA screened an average of 2 to 2.5 million people per day, USA Today reported.

Meanwhile, the TSA also confirmed that Friday’s figures represent the first time single-day total screenings have eclipsed 2 million since March 7, 2020. The lowest screening volume occurred on April 13, 2020, when fewer than 90,000 people were screened at airport security checkpoints, NBC News reported.

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