Spring Break During the COVID-19 Outbreak
By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon
Spring Break is a few days away for local Brownsville schools. Several Texas universities will also be breaking within the next couple of weeks. Even though Matamoros stopped being a Spring Breaker destination years ago, several college-aged co-eds make their way to the Island for a much needed respite.
Many business owners, restaurateurs, and hoteliers depend on the surge of business the Island sees during Spring Break and the corresponding Mexican Semana Santa holiday. Traffic on the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway grinds to a halt for hours at a time as thousands of partygoers try to cram themselves onto the Island.
As of this morning, 39 states in the United States have confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus, more commonly referred to as the Coronavirus. Throughout the country, several universities have limited students participating in class via teleconferencing or video conferencing online methods. Over 40 universities have cancelled classes, including Princeton, Columbia, Rice, and several campuses in California and the West Coast.
Boston has cancelled their annual St. Patrick's Day parade. Several musicians have cancelled their concerts to avoid mass gatherings of people. Around the world soccer teams and baseball teams are playing their matches and games in empty stadiums.
The question begs to be asked. Should South Padre Island city leaders restrict access to Spring Breakers, or is the Island and their economy completely, and unavoidably, linked to the money these Spring Breakers leave behind on the Island? Would the unprecedented "closing" of the Island be more catastrophic than allowing thousands of college students to spend a week in conditions that are less than sanitary?
When does public safety trump profits and the bottom line?
The United States government has not done enough to prepare for the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The CDC, Health and Human Services, and the US Public Health Service seem to be scrambling to address the outbreak. There aren't enough tests to go around — we can't even be sure all those who are sick are being tested, and as public events are being cancelled right and left, the president continues holding rallies where thousands of people are packed into arenas.
I do not own a business in Port Isabel or on South Padre Island, but I believe city leaders from Port Isabel and the Island need to seriously consider putting measures in place to prevent large throngs of students from congregating. One can only imagine the negative economic impact a COVID-19 outbreak would have on the Island.
Spring Break is a few days away for local Brownsville schools. Several Texas universities will also be breaking within the next couple of weeks. Even though Matamoros stopped being a Spring Breaker destination years ago, several college-aged co-eds make their way to the Island for a much needed respite.
Many business owners, restaurateurs, and hoteliers depend on the surge of business the Island sees during Spring Break and the corresponding Mexican Semana Santa holiday. Traffic on the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway grinds to a halt for hours at a time as thousands of partygoers try to cram themselves onto the Island.
As of this morning, 39 states in the United States have confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus, more commonly referred to as the Coronavirus. Throughout the country, several universities have limited students participating in class via teleconferencing or video conferencing online methods. Over 40 universities have cancelled classes, including Princeton, Columbia, Rice, and several campuses in California and the West Coast.
Boston has cancelled their annual St. Patrick's Day parade. Several musicians have cancelled their concerts to avoid mass gatherings of people. Around the world soccer teams and baseball teams are playing their matches and games in empty stadiums.
The question begs to be asked. Should South Padre Island city leaders restrict access to Spring Breakers, or is the Island and their economy completely, and unavoidably, linked to the money these Spring Breakers leave behind on the Island? Would the unprecedented "closing" of the Island be more catastrophic than allowing thousands of college students to spend a week in conditions that are less than sanitary?
When does public safety trump profits and the bottom line?
The United States government has not done enough to prepare for the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The CDC, Health and Human Services, and the US Public Health Service seem to be scrambling to address the outbreak. There aren't enough tests to go around — we can't even be sure all those who are sick are being tested, and as public events are being cancelled right and left, the president continues holding rallies where thousands of people are packed into arenas.
I do not own a business in Port Isabel or on South Padre Island, but I believe city leaders from Port Isabel and the Island need to seriously consider putting measures in place to prevent large throngs of students from congregating. One can only imagine the negative economic impact a COVID-19 outbreak would have on the Island.
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