Spring break is a popular tradition among students in the United States.
As the name suggests, spring break is a time in the spring when schools suspend classes and let students take a break from their studies. Many students choose to travel to popular tourist destinations for a vacation, which often lasts a week.
For some young people, spring break is more than tradition. It has become a rite of passage –- something they feel they must experience before becoming adults.
For college students, spring break may involve drinking large amounts of alcohol. So, not surprisingly, a common word of advice for spring breakers is not to drink too much.
This spring break, there is a new worry: the new coronavirus first identified in China. With concerns about the coronavirus, some students may be wondering if they should cancel their spring break travel plans.
Florida, in the southeastern United States, is one of the most popular destinations for spring break travelers. With its beaches, theme parks and solid infrastructure, large numbers of college and university students travel there each spring.
The Associated Press (AP) reports that the city of Orlando, in central Florida, is the "most visited tourist destination" in the U.S.
Not only students on spring break, but people from all over the world visit the Orlando area's theme parks. These parks include Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando. The AP story notes that in 2018, 75 million people visited the Orlando area.
Tampa Bay is another part of Florida where students often go for spring break. The Tampa Bay Times reported the area's first case of COVID-19. Some travel experts told the newspaper that the virus is not affecting people's travel plans. They base this on hotel cancellation numbers. However, others experts say it is too early to tell.
American Vice President Mike Pence is the government official responsible for organizing the country's effort against the coronavirus outbreak. Pence said in a public statement that travel in the United States was safe for healthy people.
But he has warned that other people may want to carefully consider any travel plans. He said those most at risk are older adults with "serious or chronic underlying health conditions."
Many college students choose to travel overseas for spring break. Popular destinations include coastal areas in Mexico, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
This year, because of concerns over the virus, some colleges and universities are warning against international travel to affected areas.
The University of Southern California and the University of Oklahoma are advising students against international travel during spring break.
The Miami Herald notes that these universities are requiring students who travel to affected areas to self-quarantine upon returning to the U.S. for 14 days.
The University of Southern California has this warning on its website:
Advisory: Do Not Travel Internationally over Spring Break: All students, faculty and employees are strongly advised against all international travel – including popular spring break destinations such as Cabo San Lucas and Cancun in Mexico.
Before making or canceling travel plans, experts are urging Americans to check with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for the latest on travel restrictions.
COVID-19是否影响了美国学生的春假旅行?
春假在美国学生中是一个流行的传统。
正如其名，春假是学校停课，让学生从学习中休息的时间。许多学生选择去热门旅游目的地度假，通常持续一周。
对一些年轻人来说，春假不仅仅是传统。它已经成为了一种成人仪式——一种他们觉得在成为成年人之前必须经历的事情。
对于大学生来说，春假可能包括大量饮酒。所以，不出所料，放春假的一个常见建议就是不要喝太多酒。
今年春假，有一个新的担忧:在中国首次发现的新型冠状病毒。考虑到对冠状病毒的担忧，一些学生可能会考虑是否应该取消春假旅行计划。
位于美国东南部的佛罗里达州是最受春假游客欢迎的目的地之一。海滩、主题公园和坚实的基础设施，每年春天都有大批的大学生去那里旅游。
据美联社报道，位于佛罗里达州中部的奥兰多市是美国“游客最多的旅游目的地”
不仅是春假的学生，来自世界各地的人们都来参观奥兰多地区的主题公园。这些公园包括奥兰多环球影城和奥兰多海洋世界。美联社的报道指出，2018年，有7500万人前往奥兰多地区。
坦帕湾是佛罗里达州另一个学生经常去春假的地方。坦帕湾时报报道了该地区第一例COVID-19病例。一些旅游专家告诉该报，该病毒没有影响人们的旅游计划。他们依据的是酒店的取消号码。然而，其他专家表示，现在下结论还为时过早。
美国副总统迈克·彭斯是负责组织全国抗击冠状病毒爆发的政府官员。彭斯在一份公开声明中说，在美国旅行对健康的人是安全的。
但他警告说，其他人可能想要仔细考虑任何旅行计划。他说，最危险的是那些有“严重或慢性潜在健康问题”的老年人。
许多大学生选择春假出国旅游。最受欢迎的目的地包括墨西哥、巴哈马群岛和加勒比地区的沿海地区。
今年，由于对该病毒的担忧，一些学院和大学对前往受影响地区的国际旅行发出了警告。
南加州大学和俄克拉荷马大学建议学生不要在春假期间出国旅行。
《迈阿密先驱报》指出，这些大学要求前往疫区的学生在返回美国14天后进行自我隔离。
南加州大学在其网站上发布了这样的警告:
建议:不要在春假期间进行国际旅行:强烈建议所有学生、教师和员工不要进行任何国际旅行——包括流行的春假目的地，如墨西哥的卡波圣卢卡斯和坎昆。
专家们敦促美国人在制定或取消旅行计划之前，到美国疾病控制与预防中心的网站上查询有关旅行限制的最新信息。
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Words in This Story
tourist – n. one that makes a tour for pleasure or culture
destination – n. a place to which a person is going or something is being sent
beach – n. a shore of a body of water covered by sand, gravel, or larger rock fragments
theme park – n. an amusement park in which the structures and settings are based on a central theme
infrastructure – n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly
outbreak – n. a sudden rise in the incidence of a disease
chronic – adj. continuing or occurring again and again for a long time
underlying – adj. used to identify the idea, cause, problem, etc., that forms the basis of something
quarantine – n. the period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading
faculty – n. the group of teachers in a school or college
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