Health officials are urging people to maintain COVID-19 precautions in hopes of preventing another surge in cases ahead of spring break.
"We want people to have a good time on spring break, but don't let your guard down completely," Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CNN March 10. "Just be prudent a bit longer. We are going in the right direction, we're almost there."
The potential spread of more transmissible variants, such as the B.1.1.7 or U.K. variant, is the main cause of concern.
Rochelle Walensky, MD, CDC director, echoed the message during a news conference March 8.:
"Every time there's a surge in travel, we have a surge in cases in this country," Dr. Walensky said. "We know that many of our variants have emerged from international places, and we know that the travel corridor is a place where people are mixing a lot. We are really trying to restrain travel at this current period of time."
While Miami is a popular spring break destination, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber warned this year will be different. Mr. Gelber told CBS News there will be capacity limits on beaches, an uptick in police presence and a ban on open alcohol containers.
As of March 9, there were 3,283 confirmed cases of the U.K. variant in the U.S., 91 cases of the B.1.351 variant, which emerged in South Africa, and 15 cases of the P.1 variant first detected in Brazil, according to the CDC.
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Alaska opens vaccines to all residents 16+; New York lowers age to 60 — 5 state updates