Spring break partying could spell the "perfect storm" to cause the spread of new coronavirus variants around the U.S., the expert cautioned.
Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine said he feared that college kids joining the party scene in Florida could escalate the spread of the highly contagious UK variant known as B.1.1.7.
"You've got the B.1.1.7 variant accelerating in Florida. You've got all these 20-year-old kids," Hotez told CNN. "None of them are going to have masks."
"It's the perfect storm," he added.
Hotez noted that Florida currently has the highest incidence of B117.
The B117 strain is believed to be up to 74% more contagious than the original virus. Florida, one of the most popular spring break sites, is now the epicenter of the extremely transmissible virus.
There are 642 cases of the variant in the Sunshine State, more than any other state in the country, according to the CDC.
Mayor Dan Gelber, Miami Beach, Florida, shares these fears. He told CNN that spring breakers gathering at bars, hotels, and restaurants "may become the kind of super-spreaders that I think we saw a year ago." Miami Beach has launched an ad campaign to encourage young people to spend their holidays wisely, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Bars, restaurants, and clubs will stay open because the city is powerless to keep them closed due to a state executive order issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the paper reported.
Meanwhile, photos from nearby Fort Lauderdale, first published by the Sun-Sentinel, show people crowded in outdoor pubs, with no mask in sight.
Steve Geller, the mayor of Fort Lauderdale's Broward County, said he "will take action" to curb the partying if the city doesn't.
Gelber also said that he would "love to have the governor's voice urging people to be responsible." But, he told CNN that this is not happening.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has chosen never to carry out statewide mask mandates. Last year, Florida became one of the largest states to lax the COVID-19 constraints after DeSantis reopened all restaurants, hotels, and bars at maximum capacity.
