Florida spring-breakers test positive for coronavirus
Caitlin O'Kane
At least five students from the University of Tampa have tested positive for coronavirus after traveling with other students from the school for spring break, the university announced on Twitter. This comes after crowds of spring-breakers in Florida were criticized for ignoring social distancing guidelines and packing beaches in complete disregard of the potential risk.
University of Tampa announced on Friday that it learned that one student, who resides off-campus, tested positive for the virus. Just a day later, the school confirmed that five students, who were part of a larger group traveling together during spring break, had tested positive.
The school moved all of its classes to online instruction on March 17, but some students were still in close contact with each other over spring break and in the school's residential halls, which are still open.
While President Trump announced new recommendations last week to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, many people across the country are still ignoring that warning. Spring-breakers seen in a viral video posted by CBS News downplayed catching the deadly virus while partying in Miami.
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Brady Sluder, one of the young people in the video, said, "whatever happens happens" — showing little concern about the virus.
"If I get corona, I get corona," Sluder said. "At the end of the day, I'm not going to let it stop me from partying. I've been waiting, we've been waiting for Miami spring break for a while. About two months we've had this trip planned, two, three months, and we're just out here to having a good time."
Many Florida beaches have since been shut down. But Sluder and other students in the video earned fierce criticism online — especially because public health officials say it's urgent for Americans to work together to "flatten the curve." The way to do that, experts say, is social distancing and staying home.
"Is it really worth while to do all of this social distancing and hand washing? The answer is yes," CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook said on "CBS This Morning" earlier this month. "Normally, right now — without any measures — the epidemic might go up [sharply] and go down. That peak number of cases could overload the system and that's what people are worried about."
The goal of flattening the curve is to prevent a huge spike in cases that overwhelms the ability hospitals to help them all, and to spread out the number of patients out over time. White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said millennials are crucial in flattening the curve.
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