Florida saw a wave of beach tourists last year.
This year, mayors and medical professionals are particularly concerned.
Is a new wave threatening a virus mutant?
Miami Beach - It's the spring break time in the USA.
The students' spring break, which usually lasts one to two weeks.
For American mayors and medical professionals, however, the spring break this year is a cause for concern.
The fear: The students could travel to the beaches of Florida in large numbers, celebrate and spread the corona virus across the country after the spring break.
The fears are not entirely unfounded.
Corona in the USA: Florida experiences wave of tourists over spring break - "We are very concerned"
Last Friday (5.3) already reported
7 News
from numerous visitors who cavorted on the beaches of Florida.
The popular locations of Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale were particularly hard hit.
In the recordings, the TV station showed visitors to the promenade who, despite Corona, were walking tightly through the streets - many of them without a mask.
"I think we can expect a bigger spring break than usual," Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber told
7 News
.
"We are very concerned," he also revealed to
CNN
.
“A lot of things happen at the same time.
We have the variant down here and we still have dozens of deaths a day in some cases. "
The mayor is referring to the virus variant B.1.1.7, which was initially known as the British variant.
It is currently spreading in Florida, among other places.
689 cases were reported in the state alone as of March 9.
This is significantly higher compared to the rest of the states, which are a maximum of 400, but most are between 1 and 100, according to a map from the US Department of Health.
Corona in the USA: Cheap hotels and flights are fueling tourism - the doctor sees a national problem
The mayor sees the problem elsewhere.
“At the same time, there are very cheap round-trip tickets for $ 40 from the northeast down here (Florida), discounted hotel rooms and people who are annoyed and can't go anywhere else than here.
So we are very concerned that we will see crowds and then see the real problem in retrospect. "
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Florida fears a new wave of the B.1.1.7 variant by tourists traveling over spring break.
© Mike Stocker / dpa
Dr.
Peter Hotez of Baylor College in Texas sees the same problem.
“There are all these 20 year old children.
None of them will wear a mask.
You will drink.
You will have pretty close, intimate contact.
Then they will return to their home countries and distribute variant B.1.1.7, ”Hotez told
CNN
.
Corona in the USA: Mayor sees Florida's government guilty - strict corona measures are missing
According to Gelber, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis failed to impose penalties.
He even declared Florida "open" to the students.
There are no strict corona measures, such as a mask requirement.
Police officers would now hand out masks.
The city has also enforced a curfew and a noise protection ordinance, said the mayor.
"I would like the governor's voice to urge people to be responsible, but we really don't have that right now," said Gelber.
(chd)