ORANGE, Texas — Sunday was a busy day at the Texas travel information center located on the Texas Louisiana border in Orange County.
12News was at the stop for several hours and spoke with people from all over the country who were traveling for the Christmas holiday.
Sunday marks America's busiest travel day of the year ahead of Christmas. Health experts have advised against traveling given that we are still in a pandemic and the number of cases is rising across the US.
In Jefferson County, more than 21 people died last week from complications from the coronavirus. It was one of the deadliest weeks of the pandemic for the county. Statistics like those are why local health leaders say it's not time to let your guard down.
Sherry Ulmer is the City of Beaumont public health director.
"Make the sacrifice now so that we can get back to some sense of normalcy sooner rather than later," Ulmer said.
A survey by TripAdvisor found that Americans are actually more confident about traveling than the rest of the world.
Despite the pandemic, Kedrick Barrell of Houston is moving forward with his plans.
"It will be different but the thing is that we have family that's here that way we can still sort of celebrate, but just it has to be a small group of us, it can't be like the entire family," Barrell said.
Since October, Southeast Texas has seen an increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
It's a concerning trend for health officials.
"We're headed for a very dark winter things are really not good at this point," Ulmer said.
Jefferson County saw its deadliest week of the pandemic, with more than 21 deaths.
Ulmer said folks need to consider the risk before gathering for the holiday.
"Avoid large gatherings, keep your family unit in tact. Do not allow people to come in who are not normally a part of your household," Ulmer said.
Like Ulmer, Barrell also understands the risk of coming together but hopes others don't let their guard down even around loved ones.
"I just wanna tell everybody be careful out there traveling this holiday season. Mask up and just be cautious. Stay six feet apart, If possible and just be safe," Barrell said.