Arrogant Spring Breakers: ‘Granny Shouldn’t Be Out Here’

In a distinct callback to the very beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, we once again fin ourselves in the muggy oasis of Florida, talking to some collegiate revelers who have an uncanny lack of tact.

We get it:  When you mix the machismo-inducing hormones of college-aged kids with the scantily-clad situation in Miami, Panama City, or Daytona Beach, there is little that can be done to prevent the inevitable.  In that pursuit, they, perhaps, leave a little to be desired as far as common sense is concerned, and they certainly aren’t afraid of letting us know that.

This year was no exception.

With a black mask pulled under his chin, 22-year-old Ace Beck weaved through spring breakers on busy Ocean Drive without any concern for catching COVID-19 — or unwittingly passing it on to somebody else.

The Alabama A&M junior, who spent Thursday afternoon in Miami Beach having fun and flirting with girls, said the big crowds didn’t worry him. For one, he said he believed the tropical climate in South Florida would keep the virus at bay. And he didn’t expect to run into any medically vulnerable seniors during spring break on South Beach.

“There’s no way that a girl can cough and I get it, it’s too hot,” Beck said, later adding: “Granny shouldn’t be out here anyways. It’s too many people.”

Just as public health officials and city leaders feared, South Beach has become inundated with bare-faced, care-free spring breakers over the past month. The virus is still spreading, but young partygoers from all parts of the U.S. are mingling without observing social distancing, and mostly without masks.

One year ago, nearly to the day, spring break’s most vocal participants were simply shunning their critics, either believing that COVID-19 was being blown out of proportion, or that they, through the magic of youth, were somehow impervious to it.