People travel for all sorts of reasons. Some will be desperate for various reasons and will keep trying until they get lucky. I can’t blame them. Not the same thing but we travelled to NI to see our son as soon as they opened up. We stayed in a hotel the second night that they were allowed to accept bookings. Yes, we took a punt on the flight and hotel, booking them a few weeks before in the hope that the tentative dates would stick, but we really wanted to see him.
The difference here is that the US seems to have abandoned all logic. Airlines and pax will keep on trying until it frees up.