U.S. college students on the beach in Florida for spring break
Chaotic parties such as drinking and cannabis … arrested about 30 people
Pouch “European re-spread, vigilance should not be delayed”
Anthony Pouch owned by NIAID, USA. Reuters Yonhap News
As vaccination for the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) in the United States is in full swing, the number of patients is rapidly decreasing. However, for young Americans, Corona 19 still seems to be a different world story. During spring break, some college students flocked to the beach to enjoy a no-mask party, and dozens of them were arrested by the police. As vaccines are not the universal key to overcoming infectious diseases, it is pointed out that we should not be alert until we achieve’group immunity’.
According to the US media on the 14th (local time), on the night of the 12th on the weekend, in Miami Beach, Florida, police and young people dispatched to maintain public health clashed. Over 200 people drank alcohol and smoked cannabis, and disorder was rampant, and the traffic flow was messed up. Some made a fuss, throwing bottles at police officers and getting onto cars. Eventually, the police had to use tear gas to disperse them. In the process, two police officers were injured. The next day, the crowd of college students continued, and about 30 people were arrested by the police, NBC Broadcasting said.
The reason the authorities are sensitive to spring break quarantine is because of their past experiences. As a result of research institutes such as Vanderbilt University in the U.S. tracking the movement of 7 million college students using mobile phone data, the spring break crowd was a key factor that fueled the spread of Corona 19 in the U.S. a year ago. Even at the time of the’great move’ before and after Thanksgiving and Christmas last year, the number of corona19 patients in the United States exploded.
Anthony Pouch, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), an authority on infectious diseases in the United States, also expressed concern over the hasty easing of quarantine regulations. Pouch appeared on Fox News that day and warned that “European people thought that they had passed the hurdle, but they were not,” and “there is always a risk of a sudden rise”. In addition, in an NBC interview, he criticized, “When I hear the news of withdrawing public health measures in such a way that I don’t have to wear a mask anymore, I think it’s dangerous.”
General Pouch urged former President Donald Trump to take action. “The former President Trump, who exerts considerable influence among Republicans, could be a’game changer’,” he said. He is asking the supporters of the corona 19 and vaccine conspiracy theories to persuade the vaccination.
Of course, excluding deviations from some groups, the easing of’social distancing’ in the United States due to the expansion of vaccination is in sight. In an interview with CNN, Pouch said, “If it is confirmed that 3 feet (about 1m) is a suitable distance for suppressing the spread of Corona 19, the existing quarantine guidelines can be changed.” AFP Communications evaluated his remarks as a move that could change the principle of distancing, which is commonly used as 2m.
Jinwook Kim reporter [email protected]
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