The Costly Toll of Not Shutting Down Spring Break Earlier

People got sick — and some died — after attending crowded parties and theme parks in Florida as the coronavirus spread.

MIAMI — You could find Beatriz Diaz at this spring’s Winter Party Festival in Miami Beach, giving out hand sanitizer.

It was early March. She knew the coronavirus was beginning to make its way around the world, but she figured if she kept her hands clean and avoided sweaty people, she would be safe.

“I was thinking, ‘OK, well, hold on, the government did not cancel it, so it should be fine,’” she said. Continue reading.