After photos of overcrowding in South Florida were released, public health officials are voicing their concerns about an uptick in Covid-19 cases as a result of spring break crowds.
Vaccination efforts are increasing every week, with the most recent numbers coming in at approximately 20 million Americans receiving a dose of the vaccine weekly. Yet, the age demographics of spring breakers tend to skew younger, a population that has not yet received mass vaccinations.
“What concerns me is the footage of what’s happening [with] Spring Breakers, in people who are not continuing to implement prevention strategies,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during Wednesday’s Covid-19 press conference.
The last few weeks of large, unmasked spring break crowds disregarding social distancing are expected to continue into April. Now, after weeks of steady decline, an uptick in Covid-positivity rates for those under 50 years-old is increasing. In the Miami-Dade county the number rose from approximately 450 positive cases per day to 550, according to the Miami Herald.
Last weekend, in response to the crowds, Miami Beach city officials declared a state of emergency and issued a 8 p.m curfew. But, Miami Beach interim city manager Raul Aguila told the Miami Herald that he recommends enforcing the curfew and associated rules until April 12th.
While vaccination efforts are potentially introducing Americans to a sense of normalcy, Dr. Anthony Fauci is cautious about the current state of the pandemic. Both Fauci and Walensky reiterated that the end of the pandemic may be near, but how quickly it comes and how many die before then is up to the American people.
“Are we turning the corner?” Fauci said. “My response is really more like we are at the corner, whether or not we’re going to be turning that corner still remains to be seen.”