Coronavirus Update: 28 Students From Texas Contract COVID-19 After Mexico Trip

City of Austin health officials said Tuesday that the COVID-19 positive students are now self-isolating. Dozens of others who were likely exposed to the 28 students are under monitoring. Some of the students returned to Texas on different commercial flights.

According to a statement released by the city of Austin, public health workers and university staff were able to contact each spring breaker who flew in from Mexico. They used the Center for Disease Control, and Prevention flight manifests to achieve this, said, city officials.

Warning That Went Unheeded

Health experts in the US have begun issuing warnings several weeks ago on the danger of coronavirus and the importance of social distancing. Such warnings, however, went unheeded as spring breakers continue their annual activities of beach parties and outings.

Austin health officials said that of the 28, four of them were asymptomatic. Other students in the group of 70 are now under quarantine and monitored. They will also be undergoing COVID-19 tests. University of Texas spokesman, J.B. Bird, said the university is working closely with public health officials in Austin to assist in contact tracing.

Vital Importance

According to Bird, the unfortunate incident is a reminder to every one of the extreme importance of taking seriously the guidelines and warnings issued by public health authorities. Ever since the first case of coronavirus infection was detected on US soil, health officials have been issuing guidelines and warnings to the general public. The announcement also underscored the risks of COVID-19 infection and how it easily spreads to others.

Bird also said that almost all spring breakers from UT have already returned to their homes in Texas. He added that there were some who lived in other places and may have been infected too, but they may be reporting such to their local authorities and not UT.

Cabo San Lucas, where the spring breakers reportedly went, is located in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. According to the data provided by the Mexican health ministry, the state already has reported 13 confirmed coronavirus cases. The country, as a whole, has more than a thousand total confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 20 fatalities.