With Spring Break just around the corner, many people are looking for a safe and COVID friendly way to have fun. Some of the normal Spring Break getaways are now COVID hotspots, so tourists must be especially careful as to where they travel this year. This is a guide to which popular destinations are COVID safe and which places are not. 

Florida:

Florida has always been a go-to vacation spot for spring breakers. In the past week, there has been a 13% increase on the average number of cases compared to two weeks prior. Right now, there is an average of about 5,133 cases daily. The key when visiting Florida is to avoid popular hotspots near Miami and the Keys and consider the northern areas which have less cases. 

Virginia:

Virginia’s COVID trends are mostly consistent, in all areas of the state. However, people planning to stay in Virginia for spring break should steer clear of Richmond County, where the bulk of the cases are. Near the coast, Virginia Beach is  doing relatively well with about 20 cases per 100,000, which can be compared to Richmond County’s 55/100,000 cases. 

West Coast and California:

When it comes to COVID cases, the West Coast is doing better than the East Coast. For people that want to travel to the West Coast, it is recommend to consider that the coast seems to be doing better than the rest of the state. Los Angeles’s 5.7/100,000 cases is relatively low, but with the large population of the city they still have 573 daily cases on average. 

With COVID still affecting the daily lives of everyone, Spring Break will definitely be different this year than in years past. Tourists may have to change their ways of transportation, lodging or simply stay home. Freshman Bella Yates says, “I feel comfortable if I am in a place with only my family so that I can keep not only myself but other people around me safe. For instance instead of a plane I would take a car.”

Some low-contact and COVID-safe options for Spring Break include: camping, hiking, going on a walk, renting a beach/lake house, or a stay-cation. 

For more information check out these sources:

–Coronavirus in the U.S: Latest Map and Case Count

–6 safer, expert-backed vacation ideas during the pandemic, whether you’re taking a last-minute spring break trip or planning ahead for summer