Air travel breaks record during Easter weekend as CDC updates safety guidance for fully vaccinated people

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CDC: Fully vaccinated people can travel in US

John Hopkins University professor of health policy Dr. Marty Makary weighs in on CDC's new air travel guidance on 'FOX News Live'

Travel is taking flight this spring.

The Transportation Security Administration reported more than 1.5 million people were screened during Easter weekend at airport checkpoints on Friday, a record since last March around the time the coronavirus started becoming widespread in the U.S. 

A Transportation Security Administration agent hands a passport back to a traveler as she screens travelers, at a checkpoint inside an airline terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File).

The checkpoint traffic was the highest its been since March 12, 2020, during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said in a statement on Twitter.

Farbstein advised travelers to arrive at airports 90 minutes early due to traffic and urged social distancing and mask-wearing in public.

The uptick in travel comes on the heels of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday announcing those who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus can safely travel in the U.S. without having to quarantine or get tested. 

FULLY VACCINATED PEOPLE CAN TRAVEL SAFELY WITHIN THE US, CDC SAYS 

The updated travel guidance says: "Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread COVID-19." The agency noted fully vaccinated individuals still must adhere to guidelines put in place by their travel destination such as potential testing requirements. 

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The agency also urged travelers to continue social distancing, wearing masks and hand washing for all.