64 Test Positive for COVID-19 Following Trip to Mexican Beach Resort
A March spring break tour to a beach resort in Mexico led to a COVID-19 outbreak that involved over 64 people. However, with proper contact tracing, quarantine, and isolation, the situation was quickly contained.
According to the Business Insider, 211, college students from the University of Texas-Austin traveled to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico from March 14 to 19. A week later, three of the vacationers visited their university's health center, where they were tested and found positive with coronavirus.
Contact tracing efforts revealed the travelers used multiple commercial, charter, and private flights to return to the U.S. A review of the trip manifests led researchers to identify additional travelers who caught the virus.
Ultimately, 60 students caught the deadly disease. Authorities also identified one household contact and three other community members who tested positive for the virus.
A team at the University of Texas Health Austin (UTHA) health center said no one developed severe symptoms, but claimed the incident showed how fast young people could spread the virus into the community.
Containment Efforts
The UTHA trained medical and public health students to provide additional support to clinical and research staffers responsible for tracing all possible contacts. The team communicated with travelers and contacts via phone calls and text messages, informing them about potential exposure, CNN reported.
During the phone calls, the contact tracers would encourage asymptomatic travelers and contacts to self-isolate. The patients were told to observe themselves for symptoms for two weeks. Those who showed signs received COVID-19 tests and were urged to self-quarantine until they obtain a negative test result.
The investigation faced challenges as many of the traveler's shared rooms or apartments. Two hundred thirty-one people received tests, including more than 180 individuals joining the trip and their community contacts.
Spring Break Trip
The group of students employed the aid of a travel company called JusCollege to organize the trip. The company labeled itself a one-stop-shop for college trips.
On April 1, 2020, the company website still advertised an event listing for a spring break trip to Cabo San Lucas from February 23 to April 10.
Emails obtained by Austin television station KVUE urged the students to take the trip, assuring them Cabo was safe. In one of the emails sent by JusCollege on March 3, the company claimed their travel destinations are among the most reliable in the world amid the coronavirus pandemic. The travel company also claimed Cabo had seen 5,000 travelers who came back with no issues.
Individuals who decided to cancel the trip the day after the World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic requested for a refund. Many customers also posted complaints on the company's official Facebook page. However, JusCollege stopped allowing page visitors from posting.
On April 14, weeks after the incident, the company posted a statement informing travelers that the remaining spring break trips were suspended until a later date. It also claimed Mexico was not under a federal travel advisory when the students departed for their trip.