The Guardian
Spring break thrills the center of Covid, Florida to celebrate as if we were in 2019
A combination of students who feel they are at little risk and a governor who has lifted restrictions has troubled experts, prompting some schools to cancel spring break altogether. Revelers go to the beach to celebrate the spring holiday, amid the Covid-19 outbreak in Miami Beach, Florida, last week. Photo: Marco Bello / Reuters Covid-19 and spring break never went well. Last March, a shirtless young man in Miami wearing a green cap turned backwards went “viral” in the pre-pandemic sense when he said to a reporter: “If I get corona, I get corona,” he said. “I won’t let that stop me from going to the party.” A year later, even after Covid killed more than 500,000 Americans and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against all similar spring break travel, photos and videos – with no masks or social distance in sight – they are being seen again this year. “Florida hasn’t missed a beat,” a Michigan college student told Sun-Sentinel about the atmosphere in Fort Lauderdale. The newspaper said the student was not concerned about the virus, saying “we are not in the risk group”. Although the Covid vaccine is being launched, the virus is still spreading in many parts of the country, albeit in numbers lower than the increase seen during the winter. Florida, the top spring break destination in the U.S., sees more than 4,000 new cases of Covid a day, but hotels in Miami expect occupancy to reach 70% – just 15% less than the pre-pandemic period. “The cases may be decreasing, but there is a lot of Covid out there to circulate among people,” said Cindy Prins, an epidemiologist at the University of Florida. Prins said the popularity of having fun and drinking in large crowds during spring break makes it conducive to the spread of the virus. “There is a lot of drinking and people are more likely to give up their inhibitions. This means that they will be more likely to remove their masks and less likely to keep physical distance from other people, ”said Prins. “Until the simple act of eating and drinking, you take off your mask to do this. This also puts you at greater risk, especially in a crowded bar or restaurant. ”Although many restaurants and bars were closed for spring break last year, the doors are once again open this year thanks to state orders. Even with Florida reaching a peak in new cases in January, the state is in its third phase of reopening since September, meaning that restaurants and bars can be opened with at least 50% capacity. While cities deal directly with the consequences of an increase in the spread of Covid-19, they have less power to enforce public health measures that would prevent the virus from spreading as the spring waves arrive. An executive order from Republican Governor Ron DeSantis prohibits local Covid-19 emergency orders to reduce the capacity of bars to less than 50%, except in rare exceptions. Localities also cannot impose mask orders, which has been a point of tension between some mayors in the state and DeSantis. People gather at a bar during the spring break festivities in Miami Beach. Photo: Marco Bello / Reuters Dan Gelber, mayor of Miami Beach, a city on an island directly east of the city of Miami, said the city resorted to distributing masks to visitors to encourage masking. Policies such as a midnight curfew and a ban on music in places above ambient noise have been implemented to discourage loud parties. Still, Miami Beach has increased police presence and code compliance in anticipation of an influx of travelers. “The problem is that it is very cheap to take a flight [to Florida], rooms are available at a discount, people have been confined and there is almost nowhere else to go, ”said Gelber. “I don’t think we are anywhere near the compliance that we would like. We cannot impose fines on our masked mandate, and it seems that many of the people who come here, the overwhelming majority, are not concerned. ”Colleges and universities have taken on part of the responsibility for trying to control travel and partying over spring break. Many schools, including some of the largest state schools, such as Ohio State University and Texas A&M University, have canceled spring break altogether, choosing to extend their winter break and give students “wellness days” throughout the semester. . The city of Miami Beach resorted to distributing masks to visitors to encourage facial coverage. Photo: Larry Marano / Rex / Shutterstock Still, some schools have kept their spring break. Some have asked students to avoid traveling during the week off, even giving students incentives to stay on campus during campus events. The University of California at Davis is offering 750 students a $ 75 staycation stipend to spend on local businesses if they stay on campus during breaks. Many college students will follow their school’s guidelines, grateful to have some time off after intense periods. Samantha Mejia, a third-year student at the University of California at Davis, said the voluntary commitments will keep her on campus during spring break, but other students are, at most, planning to return home during the week. “No one is traveling a lot,” said Mejia. “Most of the time, students here are generally safe.” Kate Whitaker, a sophomore at the University of Chicago, said the school sent emails to students and parents urging them to stay on campus during spring break, telling students that if they plan to travel, they will have to stay quarantined as soon as they return to campus. Whitaker plans to stay in Chicago for the holidays, using the time to relax after a busy semester. “We are very grateful … for just having that time to do nothing, because it seems like we are always connected during school, especially now that everything is online,” said Whitaker. Although grateful for their free time, some students on spring break are concerned about their fellow students who decide to travel. Lily Hernandez, a third-year student at the University of Texas at Austin who plans to stay on campus for spring break, said friends with face-to-face classes overheard conversations from people planning to travel to places like Miami on spring break. “It definitely worries me a little to know that I’m taking precautions and just going to work, and a group of students are going to different locations,” she said. “It will only make me more cautious when I go to campus to study, and maybe I will only be home for the next few weeks.”