While the Biden administration continues to vaccinate the American people at a record pace, spring breakers and lax safety regulations by mostly Republican led state and local governments threaten to undo the hard-earned progress of President Biden. As Biden and health experts continue to urge people to remain cautious, especially as COVID-19 variants continue to spread, recent coverage shows that thousands of spring break travelers are ignoring these directives and threatening a coronavirus spike.
As officials from across the country sound the alarm on the rise of COVID variants that are more contagious and possibly even more deadly, many states continue to eliminate safety measures like mask mandates while millions of people fly across the country for spring break. And to make matters worse, many of those travelers are seeking out those destinations that lack basic safety measures.
Check out some coverage from across the nation on spring break travel and the worry it is creating:
HEADLINE: “Maskless Spring Breakers Flood Miami Beach, Causing COVID-19 Surge Concerns.” [Yahoo News, 3/22/21]
HEADLINE: “Spring Break Invasion Of South Florida Spurred By Cheap Fares And Lax Covid-19 Restrictions.” [NBC News, 3/22/23]
- South Florida Has “Virtually No COVID-19 Restrictions.” “Cheap flights, cheap hotels and the chance to party in a place with lots of sunshine and virtually no Covid-19 restrictions have created a ‘perfect storm’ amid the pandemic in South Florida, Miami’s mayor warned Monday. And local officials are bracing for more spring break mayhem like the kind that occurred over the weekend in Miami Beach when the crowds grew too big and too wild and police cracked down hard, he said.” [NBC News, 3/22/23]
HEADLINE: “Spring Breakers Spark New Covid Concerns.” [CNN, 3/23/21]
HEADLINE: “Popular Spring Break Beach Towns Have Few COVID-19 Restrictions.” [USA Today, 3/22/23]
- Florida Has Never Had A Statewide Mask Mandate And Governor DeSantis Issued An Executive Order Barring Local Authorities From Issuing Fines For Noncompliance With Local COVID Restrictions. “Popular Florida spring break destinations such as Daytona Beach and Panama City Beach are open to the public with no COVID-19 mandates in effect. Officials at both destinations urge beachgoers to follow CDC guidelines for visiting beaches, and the city of Daytona Beach requires all visitors and residents to wear masks indoors except in a home. Florida did not enact a statewide mask mandate since the pandemic started, leaving the decision to city and county governments. On Sept. 25, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order that barred local authorities from issuing fines for noncompliance.” [USA Today, 3/22/23]
- Beaches In Texas Were Opened With No COVID-19 Restrictions And The Governor Of Texas Lifted The State Mask Mandate On March 10th. “Beaches at South Padre Island, Texas, were opened with no COVID-19 restrictions as of March 10. Social distancing protocols and masks were recommended by the city’s website. A video posted Friday on the Clayton’s Beach Bar and Grill Facebook page shows a mostly maskless crowd of hundreds attending a concert on South Padre Island. […] Gov. Greg Abbott rescinded Texas’ statewide mask mandate effective March 10, a decision criticized by public health experts, city and county leaders and President Joe Biden.” [USA Today, 3/22/23]
HEADLINE: “Health Officials Fear 4th Wave Of COVID-19 Cases Due To Spring Breakers, Variants.” [News 12 Brooklyn, 3/22/23]
- Health Officials Worry People Will Get Infected During Spring Break Travel And Come Home And Infect Others, Which Is What HAppened In Europe And Led To Further Lockdowns. “Health officials say they are worried about a potential fourth wave of COVID-19 due to people traveling for spring break. Spring breakers have descended on Florida en masse and the beaches and restaurants have filled up to the point that a state of emergency was declared in Miami and are instituting a curfew. Health officials say they’re afraid of these people getting infected and then flying home. That’s what’s happened in many parts of Europe, where they are going through lockdowns again.”[News 12 Brooklyn, 3/22/23]
HEADLINE: “Millions Of Travelers Board Flights Amid Pandemic Spring Break Travel Surge.” [USA Today, 3/22/23]
- The TSA Has Now Had 11 Consecutive Days Of 1-Million-Plus Travelers. “Travelers packed planes and airports over the weekend as the spring break travel surge continued. The Transportation Security Administration screened 1,543,115 travelers at U.S. airports Sunday, its busiest day since March 13, 2020, the day the U.S. declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency. The numbers are a stark contrast from the same date in 2020, when the agency screened only 548,132 but still not up to pre-pandemic levels; the TSA screened 2,227,181 the same date in 2019. The agency has now had 11 consecutive days of 1-million-plus travelers screened as air travel ticks back up. Traveler screening totals fell below 90,000 in April 2020 in the early days of the pandemic and didn’t top 1 million again until October.” [USA Today, 3/22/23]
HEADLINE: “Concerns Grow Over COVID-19 Variants, Case Growth In Minnesota As Spring Break Nears.” [Star Tribune, 3/19/21]
HEADLINE: “Health Officials Concerned Massive Spring Break Crowds Will Bring COVID-19 Variants To NC.” [WCNC, 3/22/21]
HEADLINE: “School Districts Hope To Avoid Post Spring Break COVID Spikes.” [KHOU 11, 3/22/21]
HEADLINE: “CDC Director Warns Coronavirus Variants Could Spark Another Avoidable Surge.” [CNN, 3/23/21]
- The Director Of The CDC Warned Against Eliminating COVID-19 Mitigation Measures And Said The Biden Administration Was Still Encouraging Governors And The Private Sector To Maintain The Measures. “Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Monday that she’s worried the US could see ‘another avoidable surge’ of Covid-19 if mitigation measures — such as mask-wearing, physical distancing and avoiding crowds or travel — are not followed. […] She said the Biden administration is encouraging governors, as well as the private sector, to maintain or reimpose coronavirus restrictions.” [CNN, 3/23/21]