Local health and travel leaders urge caution when making spring break plans
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
As spring break for schools and universities across Mid-Missouri nears, leaders are asking people to take caution while planning trips amid the pandemic.
A spokeswoman for the Columbia/Boone County Health Department Sara Humm said locally, case rates are lower and vaccine distribution is rising, but that doesn't mean the pandemic is over.
"It's important to remember that just because you are on a beach doesn't mean the COVID doesn't exist," Humm said.
The department recommends continuing all the usual safety protocols like social distancing, masking and general hygiene if people do choose to travel.
Humm also said it is important to know the restrictions and rules where you are going and on the way you are traveling.
"There are certain rules if you are traveling by plane or train, and depending on where folks are going, different states and different counties have different regulations," Humm said.
She said the department is looking ahead at a potential spike in cases after spring break, but said it is really hard to tell what might cause a spike. She said there wasn't a spike in cases after the Super Bowl, or when college students returned this winter.
"It's really hard to tell what might come after spring break," Humm said. "Even though our cases are down, there are variants out there that researchers say is more contagious, but also with folks getting vaccinated, that's a good thing."
She urged people to continue to take the precaution seriously, as many people are still unvaccinated.
"We're not quite at that threshold of being able to breathe a little bit as far as restrictions and things like that," Humm said.
At the same time, business and travel are picking back up in Columbia and across Mid-Missouri. A spokeswoman for the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau Megan McConachie said there has been pent-up demand for travel, and people are starting to feel more comfortable.
"Not just for our destination, but for all destinations, we're seeing really good data that hopefully in the next 6 months, as long as vaccine keep getting distributed people will want to travel," McConachie said.
She said hotel numbers are slowly starting to pick back up. As for passengers into and out of COU, February's passenger load was more than 75% below average. The bureau hopes if people do choose to travel into and out of Columbia, they do it safely.
"Our number one priority is the safety of not only the people who are traveling but of our residents," McConachie said.
Columbia Public Schools and the University of Missouri are bringing students back to the classroom after spring break on April 5th. Michelle Baumstark with CPS said while they don't control what families do during the break, they hope people remain vigilant
It's also not realistic to think that everyone will stay home either. However, we hope that everyone will be responsible and remember that while things are trending down and the vaccine administration is making progress, COVID is still here. Review what the CDC says about traveling. We want more than anything to have the next phase of our return to be successful.
Michelle Baumstark, Columbia Public Schools
Information was not made immediately available from the University of Missouri.
Columbia College decided a while back to not bring students back to campus after spring break. The Dean of Student Affairs Dave Roberts said the decision was made to help students with planning and to keep the student and the community safe.
"Our hope is that we get through spring break safely, that our city, our state, and our country continues to move forward in a good way with the virus," Roberts said.
The college is providing guidance for students this week about safe travel options to keep them and their families safe if they decide to go home or elsewhere.
Watch ABC17 News at 9 and 10 for the full report.
