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Spring breakers are flocking to Florida this year amid a prolonged coronavirus pandemic to take advantage of its sunny beaches and rapid reopening guidelines, photos and videos show.
It comes as some colleges are cutting back or canceling their spring breaks amid fears that vacation partying could lead to subsequent outbreaks on their campuses.
People walk on the beach on March 04, 2021 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. College students have begun to arrive in the South Florida area for the annual spring break ritual. City officials are anticipating a large spring break crowd as the coronavirus pandemic continues. They are advising people to wear masks if they cannot social distance. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
University of California, Davis is offering students $75 to choose a "staycation" instead of traveling. Texas A&M University scaled down to just a three-day weekend. And the University of Alabama canceled spring break altogether.
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But many students, eager to get outside after nearly a year of pandemic lockdowns, are packing up and heading to the beach.
"Life is normal – with a mask," said a health care worker from Palm Beach, where there is still a county-level mask mandate.
People walk near the beach on March 04, 2021 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. College students have begun to arrive in the South Florida area for the annual spring break ritual. City officials are anticipating a large spring break crowd as the coronavirus pandemic continues. They are advising people to wear masks if they cannot social distance. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Andrew Cohen, co-owner of a party boat charter service, said he was nearly booked for the rest of the month in both Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.
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"A lot of them are coming down from the colder states," he told the Associated Press. "And they were just sick of being cooped up for the year."
Despite the Sunshine State’s relaxed health guidelines and aggressive reopening plan, Centers for Disease Control of Prevention reports indicate coronavirus cases and deaths have declined between Jan. 1 and March 10.
The state has also vaccinated more than 4 million residents, including more than 2.6 million senior citizens, according to state officials. The state’s population is about 21.5 million.
Still, the CDC lists the majority of Florida counties as having a "high" risk for community transmission. The rest are either "substantial" or "moderate." None of the state’s counties carry a "low" risk rating. And it remains a hotspot for coronavirus infection, with the fourth-highest death toll of any state, behind California, New York and Texas.
Josie Hornback, left, and Davis DeWitt, both students at the University of Louisville, spend time sitting in the sun on Clearwater Beach Tuesday, March 2, 2021, in Clearwater, Fla., a popular spring break destination, west of Tampa. Colleges around the U.S. are scaling back spring break or canceling it entirely to discourage beachfront partying that could raise infection rates back on campus. "I’m with people I know. I’m not an at-risk person," she said. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
And Miami-Dade County, a premium spring break destination, has already seen the most new cases this month.
Yet Miami Beach’s hotel industry expects to see occupancy reach 70% this spring break, 15% lower than usual but significantly higher than the 43% it saw last year at the start of the pandemic.
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Photos from there already show crowded beaches with few masks and little social distancing.
A person throws a football on the beach on March 04, 2021 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. College students have begun to arrive in the South Florida area for the annual spring break ritual. City officials are anticipating a large spring break crowd as the coronavirus pandemic continues. They are advising people to wear masks if they cannot social distance. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Meanwhile California, which before COVID times would also be an ideal spring break destination but currently has much stricter coronavirus regulations than Florida, has roughly the same infection and death rates.
The big difference, it seems, is that Florida is open for business.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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