Thousands of New Jersey residents arrived at area airports Wednesday to travel away for Thanksgiving, despite a rise in COVID-19 cases around the country.

Taxis and cars were double-parked in the arrival lanes outside Newark Liberty International Airport Wednesday afternoon. It would appear as if it was business as usual. This travel comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Gov. Phil Murphy urged people to not travel for the holiday during the pandemic.

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Many people inside the Newark airport were seen wearing masks, and some had on a face mask and face shield. Some were even seen wearing hazmat-type suits.

Airports nationwide recorded over 1 million travelers per day two times in the last week, as more than 88,000 Americans are in the hospital to be treated for the coronavirus. But many said that the lure of spending time with family or going on vacations outweighs the risks of the virus.

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“I don't really get to go home that much because of work, so I think it was out of the question to miss the holidays,” said John Kevin Sas. “I think it was a little more crowded than I'd like. I flew United and they had me sitting next to someone I didn't know. So, that's not the greatest."

Sas told News 12 New Jersey that he was heading to see family in New York. He said that he had no plans to quarantine.

Gov. Murphy said that all non-essential travel outside of the immediate area was discouraged because of the rise in COVID-19 cases.