Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R.) announced the state's beaches will be closed to prevent defiant spring breakers from congregating and spreading the coronavirus, in accordance with CDC guidelines.
"The message I think for spring breakers is the party is over in Florida," DeSantis said on Fox & Friends Thursday. "You’re not going to be able to congregate on any beach in the state. Many of the hot spots that people like to go to, whether it’s Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Clearwater Beach are closed entirely for the time being."
On Wednesday the governor called for bars and clubs to close down, and for restaurants to limit their capacity.
His statement came after reports showed crowds of college students gathering in large groups on the beach while much of the rest of the country practiced social distancing to slow the spread of the deadly virus. Students boasted that not even the pandemic could keep them from enjoying their spring break. Some lamented the imposition the outbreak already had on their fun.
"If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I'm not going to let it stop me from partying," said Brady Sluder, a spring breaker from Ohio.
'If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I'm not gonna let it stop me from partying": Spring breakers are still flocking to Miami, despite coronavirus warnings. https://t.co/KoYKI8zNDH pic.twitter.com/rfPfea1LrC
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 18, 2020
DeSantis offered a glimmer of hope to the disappointed spring breakers by saying they are welcome to return to the Sunshine State when there is no imminent danger from the pandemic.
The New York Times reported that new CDC data revealed 40 percent of patients hospitalized in the United States are between the ages of 20 and 54. The data show the elderly are still at greater risk of becoming seriously ill from the highly contagious virus, however.