FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) – Goodbye, sunshine. Hello, study sessions.
Colleges in the United States are reducing spring break or canceling it entirely to discourage parties that can spread the virus and increase infection rates on campus.
Texas A&M University opted for a three-day weekend instead of an entire week off. The University of Alabama and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have also eliminated spring break, but are giving students a day off at the end of the semester.
Even some students who have time to leave are not in the mood. Michigan Tech’s week-long vacation started on Friday, but 21-year-old Justin Martin decided to visit his family in Michigan instead of making that epic last year trip to Florida that he had envisioned.
“I don’t want to travel that much, in the first place, especially with everything closed. It just doesn’t seem worth it, especially with COVID too, ”he said.
Certainly, many college students looking to vent or escape the cold and snow of the North will still visit the big party venues, like Florida, Mexico, California and Las Vegas to soak up the sun and go to the night bars. Others will ski in the mountains or visit other sights.
But many others say they will reluctantly skip trips this year.
“Definitely, no trip planned. Definitely wearing masks this year, ”said Brady Stone, a 21-year-old journalist who graduated from Texas A&M. “We are kind of crouching and keeping ourselves safe.” He added: “I think most of us, if we go somewhere, are back in their hometowns.”
Tourism is the No. 1 sector in the State of the Sun, generating more than $ 91 billion in 2018, and last year’s spring break was one of the first major victims of the pandemic, when the US entered strict confinement, closing beaches in throughout Florida, alarming scenes of college students drinking, dancing and approaching carelessly without masks have been posted on social media.
Miami tourism officials say they lost billions of dollars during those three months last year.
Now, these coastal cities hope to make up for some of those losses, while taking precautions to discourage reckless behavior and stem the spread of the virus. Miami tourism officials have spent $ 5 million on the city’s largest national advertising campaign in 20 years.
Some communities say they are beginning to see visitors returning, although health experts warn that the outbreak that killed more than half a million Americans is far from over.
Air travel to Miami fell by more than half from last year, said Rolando Adeo, director of operations for the Greater Miami Congress and Visitors Bureau. But hotel occupancy is expected to reach 70% in Miami Beach this month, he said. Although it fell by 85% in the 2019 pre-pandemic, it is still a marked improvement from 43% last year.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis reported: “Hotel rates are very competitive and occupancy is also very high, so we are excited about that.”
University of Louisville student Josie Hornback and four friends spread their colorful towels while sunbathing in Clearwater Beach, Florida, last Tuesday, without worrying about the virus.
“I am with people I know. I am not a person at risk, ”she said.
Florida has no statewide masking rules, capacity limits or other restrictions, courtesy of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ pro-business stance. But local governments can impose rules, and they vary widely.
In Miami Beach, tourists are receiving cell phone messages saying: “Vacation responsibly or being arrested”.
“Spring break in Miami Beach can be one of the great rites of passage, but only if you plan to follow the rules. Otherwise, you might as well stay at home and save the court costs, “says the message, followed by a reminder that alcohol, refrigerators and tents are prohibited on your beach, a midnight curfew is in progress. in force throughout the county and no alcoholic beverages can be sold after 10 pm
“If you want to party without restrictions, go somewhere else. Go to Las Vegas, ”said Miami Beach city manager Raul Aguila during a recent virtual city meeting.
Across the state, many take the party to the open sea, where guests can drink under less attentive eyes.
Andrew Cohen, co-owner of the Staying Afloat Party Boat, said his boats were almost sold out for the rest of the month in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.
“Many of them are coming from colder states,” he said. “And they were tired of being stuck all year.”
California is discouraging out-of-state visitors, warning tourists that they will have to be quarantined for 10 days on arrival, and a season that would normally see crowds on beaches, theme parks and ski mountains should be reduced. The state, with miles of coastline and popular spring break spots like Disneyland and Santa Monica Pier, has some of the country’s toughest pandemic restrictions.
At the University of Mississippi, which canceled spring break and will instead end the semester a week earlier, veteran Eliza Noe was planning a “last getaway trip alive” with her friends, but it won’t happen now.
“Spring break is your last moment to lose your head before becoming an adult, so that was the plan,” she said, “but then the world is over.”
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Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas, and Yoganathan reported from Atlanta.