President Trump and top health officials are strongly urging young people to follow social distancing parameters. The worry: when it comes to Coronavirus, Millennials and youth who may be asymptomatic could spread the virus quickly while out in groups, whether at the beach, a friend’s house or a casual gathering. They also could be putting themselves at greater risk for a more serious case of the illness.
“There are concerning reports coming out of France and Italy about some young people getting seriously ill and very seriously ill in the ICUs,” Dr. Deborah Birx, coronavirus response coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, told CNN.
An Italian video, “A Thing By,” shows Italians now under quarantine throughout Italy, sharing advice to themselves 10 days prior to the countrywide shutdown. In it, one man states, “Hospitals are literally blowing up.” Another man adds, “Lots of infections, even among young people.”
Photo: Em Campos
It’s surmised that continued exposure to the virus by not practicing social distancing leads to a greater viral load and a worse prognosis. This means gatherings of more than 10 people, standing in lines less than six feet apart, and even going to a crowded beach are not safe activities.
Governor DeSantis re: Coronavirus Millennials and College Students, “Spring Break is done.”
This makes recent Spring Break photos like the ones above and below, featuring Florida beaches mobbed with college kids, particularly disturbing.
Speaking to those ignoring warnings about social distancing, former Florida Governor Rick Scott told CNN’s John Berman on New Day, “Get off the beach. Unless you can figure out how to completely be isolated from anybody else, I mean, this is — individuals have to take responsibility and every, every level of government has to be very clear, don’t be on the beach unless you can be somehow completely by yourself.”
Taking this a step forward, current Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an order Thursday morning — “…spring break’s done.” DeSantis has limited, but not banned, gatherings on beaches to no more than 10 people.
“So what you’ve see now is a lot of the sheriff’s departments have instituted protocols … Cocoa Beach, major spring break destination went down 70% since my order,” DeSantis said, per a CNN article. “And so, I think that’s a more prudent approach to do social distancing.”
De Santis continued, “Since I issued my directive, anybody who’s put that in place, spring break’s done. Any place to go for bars and all this done. They don’t have a place to go.”
It’s Not Just About You, It’s About Your Family
Even if the majority of teens and millennials do remain either asymptomatic or only mildly ill after contracting COVID-19, they can still spread it far and wide if they don’t practice social distancing. In addition, COVID-19 incubation lasts between five and 12 days, during which people remain symptom-free, yet shed large amounts of the virus, making it a prime time for contagion.
People over the age of 60, or with preexisting medical conditions, are still at the most risk.
(Photo: Washington Post/YouTube)
Trump had a specific message for the nation’s youth, who might not comprehend the seriousness of the social distancing efforts. “I hope they just listen to what we’ve been saying over the last period of time. We don’t want them gathering, and I see that they do gather including on beaches, and including in restaurants, young people.”
The President continued, “They don’t realize that — they’re feeling invincible, I don’t know if you felt invincible when you were young. But they don’t realize that they could be carrying lots of bad things home to their grandmother and grandfather and even their parents. So, we want them to heed the advice … and I do believe it’s getting through.”