While a news chopper buzzed over Clearwater Beach in Florida on Monday, a WFLA anchor commented on the crowds: "This is a packed scene here at the beaches," he said.
As of Tuesday, the beaches near Tampa are open and buzzing with spring break activity, while the nation and world tries to contain the spread of coronavirus — a bug expected to infect 20 to 60 percent of adults globally. Some 15 percent of cases are severe, while 5 percent are critical.
Infectious disease experts, after watching the WFLA clip, emphasized that young people — who may notice no symptoms and feel ready to party — must social distance themselves if the U.S. hopes to limit the spread of coronavirus. There were over 5,700 reported U.S. cases as of 3 p.m. EST on Tuesday — but disease researchers know the true number is undoubtedly much higher.
What's more, Florida's confirmed cases, currently at 192, include four University of Florida students.
"This is how it is going to spread," said Dr. Timothy Murphy, an M.D. and infectious disease researcher at the University of Buffalo, after seeing the video.
"In order for social distancing to work, everyone has got to do it," said Murphy. "It’s not going to work unless everyone buys into it."
That's because people can carry the virus and infect others for an average of five days before the first symptoms hit. Or, some folks never experience any symptoms at all. Meanwhile, the virus spreads to the more vulnerable among us — people over 60 or those in poorer health.
"Even if you yourself are a healthy 20-something person, you’ll go home and transmit that infection to someone else who might not be as successful in fighting off that infection," said Amanda Simanek, an epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
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Social distancing means staying six feet away from people, according to the CDC. The agency now recommends canceling all mass gatherings.
"Clearly, being on a beach with hundreds of people is going against that recommendation," said Simanek.
A looming, if not unsettling problem, is that tourists flock to Clearwater Beach. Many Florida beachgoers will then hop in cars (and some on planes) and then disperse around the state or region. "We have to think about what that means for people flying back home," she said, noting asymptomatic people could very well shed the virus in their communities.
This is why social distancing requires everyone's buy-in. The coronavirus spread in the U.S. is still in its early stages. It can't be fully contained anymore, but we can throw a wrench in the virus's uninhibited spread. "This is really a critical time for everyone to hunker down and disrupt transmission," explained Simanek.
The hundreds of people crowding in Clearwater are inhibiting the effectiveness of social distancing. And, as Murphy noted, we all know the partying doesn't end on these beaches.
Empowerment
The "good news" about the coronavirus pandemic, which results in the respiratory disease COVID-19, is everyone can do something of critical importance about it. This is, of course, social distancing.
"The solution actually involves everyone," said Murphy. "Instead of being a victim, we can take active measures."
Some 25 or 30 year olds can't imagine being infected. Infected NBA stars, feeling well, couldn't imagine being infected, either.
"Every step a young person takes is going to make a difference," said Amita Avadhani, an associate professor at the Rutgers School of Nursing specializing in infectious disease prevention.
"You could be a healthy carrier," Avadhani added. "That cycle needs to be broken down."
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Fortunately, it's not 1918, and we have the digital ability to stay in contact with each other without mass gatherings.
"They need to come up with ways to celebrate with friends using Facetime," Avadhani suggested. "At the end of the day, they need to hang out on Zoom instead of going to the beach."
The outdoors, of course, are essential for one's health — but certainly not crowded outdoor places during a pandemic.
Social distancing has become essential because of a woeful lag in testing in the U.S. We largely don't know who's infected. This is little surprise. The Trump administration is led by a president who shuttered the White House pandemic office and called the spread of coronavirus the Democrats' "new hoax."
"The testing was so slow," said Murphy. "We really don't know the extent of the disease in a lot of communities."
"The best way to not find disease is to not test for it," he added.
Mashable contacted the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County (where Clearwater is located) for comment about the crowds, but couldn't get through. All available representatives were busy, an automated line said. But in reference to St. Patrick's Day, the local agency tweeted "Public gatherings not recommended, so celebrate at home this year."
The city has canceled "spring break camps" for youth, and closed a pier, too. But the beaches remain open.
For those ignoring veteran infectious disease experts who implore the public to social distance as the virus continues spreading, it's important to know that even young people can become severely ill — though older demographics are more vulnerable.
"We’ve all been 25 and thought we were indestructible," said Simanek.
