Will college students, families make spring break a safe one this year?
Vaccines are getting in arms, COVID restrictions are loosening, and the weather is warming up.
After a long year of sheltering-in-place, California families and college students might be hoping to bust out of the home office or the dorm and make this their best spring break ever.
How do health officials and college administrators feel about that?
Well, it depends on whether your idea of “best break” involves a largely outdoor itinerary, a face mask and plenty of social distancing. If not, many would rather you plan for your best summer vacation or Labor Day weekend instead.
State and county health officials are clinging to their “no essential travel” recommendations, and the super-spreader fears emanating from Miami Beach — where more than 1,000 spring-break party arrests have been made and an 8 p.m. curfew remains in place until April 12 — aren’t likely to prompt changes in the next few weeks.
That leaves tourism officials, whose hotel and other clients have lost so much business during the COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, walking a fine line.
“People definitely have cabin fever. They want to get out in the sunshine,” said Christina Glynn, head of communications for Visit Santa Cruz County. “We also have to remind people that it’s important to be safe. They’re not mutually exclusive. I hope people will understand that.”
Hotels, motels and shortterm lodgings In counties that have entered the red and orange tiers are allowed to reopen “with modifications,” the state says, as are tourist attractions. But options for families will be limited both by the number of theme parks and other attractions open and by the attendance restrictions the state requires of those welcoming back guests.
While Legoland in Carlsbad and the two large Six Flags theme parks in the state — Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo and Magic Mountain in Valencia — are reopening April 1, others are still scrambling to hire and train employees and put safety practices in place after the yearlong closure.
Disneyland has announced April 30 for its reopening. Great America in Santa Clara long ago decided on May 22 and has thus far stuck with that date. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has yet to announce when the Giant Dipper and other thrill rides will start rolling.
Still, that leaves many options for family day trips, whether to San Jose’s Happy Hollow, Oakland’s Fairyland, the Peninsula’s tide pools, the East Bay’s wildflower-filled parks or Roaring Camp Railroad in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
However, the prospect of college students traveling and partying in close quarters has concerned administrators for months. A number of U.S. universities — including USC, San Diego State, Alabama, Wisconsin/Madison and Texas A&M — have canceled, shortened or otherwise altered spring break in hopes of limiting any infections after students head back to class.
Other universities are going the “strongly discouraging travel” route.
Stanford has told students who live on campus that if they plan to travel more than 150 miles away from Santa Clara County’s borders, they’re required to take a COVID-19 test immediately upon their return and a second test five days later, according to a spokesman.
UC San Diego has created a “Stay and Play” itinerary of nature photography hikes, outdoor skate parties and other spring break activities. “We’re in good shape” now after a small COVID outbreak following the December holidays, physician and administrator Dr. Robert “Chip” Schooley, told the San Diego Union-Tribune, “and have been encouraging students to stay on campus.”
At UC Davis, Chancellor Gary May offered $75 in gift cards to students who would agree to skip springbreak trips.
“We were able to do this through our joint university-city project, Healthy Davis Together, which has been able to obtain federal and state funds and philanthropic gifts designated for supporting this public health initiative,” university spokeswoman Melissa Lutz Blouinn said.
Initially, the grants were offered to just 500 students. But the idea proved so overwhelmingly popular, it was expanded. This week, 2,500 Davis students are picking up gift cards that can be used at local businesses to buy art supplies, athletic gear, gardening equipment or books that aren’t on any professor’s required reading list.
“I have been working on getting fit since the start of the pandemic, but I have not had a lot of time to run recently because of school,” said recipient Madison Hall, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Danville, who selected the sporting goods store option. “Over spring break, I plan to get new running shoes and go on some longer runs to push myself as an athlete.”