In the midst of rising coronavirus infections in the Bay Area and across the country, public health officials have been pleading with people not to travel this holiday season. But lots of college students are on the move.
This weekend is traditionally one of the busiest travel times of the year. The crowd at San Jose International is no doubt smaller than usual, but there are still plenty of people who are flying.
“I guess it was possible but we felt like we were being safe,” said Morgan Hill resident Kathy Miller. “And he's going to get tested before he sees his grandma.”
Miller says her son Cole could have stayed on campus at Grand Canyon University near Phoenix, but he and his girlfriend decided to fly home and will stay here for weeks.
Some students are exercising the option to come home for the holiday. But there are some students who don't have that option.
“So, the campus is actually closing their dorm, like living in the actual dorm,” said student Kendal Christianson. “So we kind of are forced to leave.”
Christianson and Bradee Barr are both students at Arizona State University. Their campus dorms, like many across the country, are closed till January and before they flew home, their university made them take extra precautions.
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“You have to get tested if you're leaving for Thanksgiving break,” said Christianson. “So everyone who actually is traveling had to get tested.”
Will Huntington is a student at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He's been quarantined for 14 days before he drove more than nine hours to get to his family in Oakland.
“Really, all I needed was a negative test and a home quarantine to kind of make it home safely because I knew I wasn't going to be doing much when I got here,” he said.
All the students we talked with say they'll be staying home till at least January. Classes at their universities will continue remotely until they take finals.
