Spring Break Traveling Disrupted by the Corona Outbreak
Many college students were forced to cancel their spring break trips due to the Coronavirus. With the virus spreading predominately across Asia and some parts of Europe, students have been left with the decision to cancel previous spring break travel plans. The virus has also started to spread in the United States with more than 100 confirmed cases, which could cause even more problems for spring break travelers.
“I and my friends had planned to go down to Miami [Florida] for spring break, but now we don’t know if we should go because of the Coronavirus,” said Connor Light, a Western Connecticut State University student. “The beaches will have a lot of people in one place, so obviously we would be at more of a risk if someone was there with the virus.”
The outbreak has caused the deaths of over 3,100 people with an additional 90,000 Coronavirus cases confirmed worldwide. The concern has made people cancel their trips that they have spent countless hours planning.
“I had planned out months in advance a trip to Italy with my girlfriend, where we were going to go to different cities and travel across the country,” said Sal Sabatino, a student at Dutchess Community College. “Now with the Coronavirus, I had to cancel everything, and all the planning was for nothing.”
Also, students want to be properly informed about the virus by their colleges and the media. “I want to make sure that the correct information and numbers about the virus are being provided,” said Zach Traver, a student a SUNY New Paltz. “I want colleges and even the news to not misreport anything so that we know how to stay safe and how to prevent getting the virus.”
A concern that some college students shared was, how will the college or university know if a student has traveled to a country or state that has Coronavirus cases. Furthermore, there are students who are uneasy about the virus being transmitted between students after coming back from spring break.
“The thing that I fear is that you don’t know where someone has gone or where they have been and if they have come in contact with the virus somewhere,” said Western Connecticut State University student, Lillia Beckmann. “I worry because the college won’t know if any student really traveled and somehow became infected, that is what makes the whole situation scary.”
Colleges are aware of the situation and are pleading students and faculty to be cautious in any travel plans they might have. A letter recently released by SUNY New Paltz warned students about traveling to high-risk areas.
“We ask all campus community members to consider carefully any plans to travel during spring break, as such movement increases the risk for encountering those who may have come in contact with the virus,” the letter stated. “Anyone, employee or student, anticipating travel to CDC Level 2 or 3 countries over spring break or during the spring 2020 semester, is strongly discouraged from doing so.”
With the Coronavirus affecting travel plans for college students, they are upset. Nevertheless, most students see the risk in traveling and understand the importance of canceling their trips.
“It’s just not worth it,” said Sabatino about traveling to Italy. “I am not going to put myself in danger of being in contact with the virus or be around people who might have it and I think every student should take the same precaution in where they choose to travel over spring break.”
