Coronavirus and spring break: Could COVID-19 put a damper on the annual ritual?
March for many college students means one thing: spring break. But schools are canceling international trips and warning students about travel as the coronavirus spreads.
More than 90,000 people around the world have been infected with the coronavirus, called COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization. More than 3,100 people have died as of Tuesday, the WHO said.
Most infections and deaths have been in central China, but there have been cases around the world. The worst-hit countries outside China are Iran, South Korea, Italy and Japan, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Many colleges and universities have shut down study abroad programs in the hardest-hit areas.
“Students are strongly advised against international travel during spring break,” the University of Southern California said.
“Travelers arriving on campus from international destinations may be required to complete a health screening process and/or isolation measures as the rapidly evolving information about COVID-19 becomes available,” USC officials said.
At the University of Oklahoma, students who travel to affected countries will have to self-quarantine themselves for 14 days before they’re allowed back on campus.
“The University’s list of impacted countries is subject to change with little or no notice,” the school said.
The CDC has issued Level 3 travel restrictions for China, South Korea, Italy and Iran, meaning people should avoid non-essential travel to those areas. Officials issued a Level 2 warning for Japan, saying people with existing medical problems should reconsider travel.
There’s been more cases in the United States in recent weeks, prompting fears that the virus could spread domestically. “It’s likely that at some point, widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the United States will occur,” the CDC said.
Public health officials in Washington state have confirmed the virus is being transmitted locally in the Seattle area, according to The News Tribune in Tacoma.
Nine people have died in Washington, the newspaper reports, including four residents of a nursing home in Kirkland.
North Carolina reported that state’s first case Tuesday. Officials said the infected Wake County resident had been to a nursing home in Washington that was experiencing an outbreak, The News & Observer in Raleigh reported.
In Florida, the spring break mecca, state Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said, “This is a new virus that we are still learning about.”
“There’s a possibility of individuals spreading the virus before they become symptomatic,” he said, according to the Miami Herald.
Colleges and universities have not warned students against domestic travel, but local officials in tourist destinations are trying to prepare.
Dennis Speigel, president of consulting firm International Theme Park Services, said, “If there’s a serious U.S. outbreak, it would manifest, in my opinion, at about the time the destination parks are really starting to kick in with Easter and spring break,” according to the Orlando Sentinel.
“That could be horrible. Spring break, that is one of the biggest periods,” Speigel said, according to the newspaper.
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 9:43 AM.
