44 Texas students test positive for coronavirus after spring break trip to Mexico

Forty-four people have tested positive for coronavirus after returning to Texas from a spring break trip to Mexico, a representative for Austin Emergency Management confirmed to McClatchy News Thursday.

The number is up from the initial 28 cases the Austin Health Department announced Tuesday.

On Wednesday, CNN reported that all the infected are students at the University of Texas at Austin.

A group of roughly 70 people, most in their early 20s, left on a chartered plane to Cabo San Lucas about a week-and-a-half ago, the department said in a news release. Some returned on separate commercial flights.

Now, 44 young adults have tested positive for COVID-19 and dozens more are under investigation, according to the city.

Austin Public Health and University of Texas Health Austin and University Health Services used flight manifests from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to contact every spring breaker on the chartered flight, the department said.

The initial 28 people who tested positive are self-isolating, according to Tuesday’s release. Four people who tested positive did not present with symptoms. McClatchy News reached out to confirm the status of the other students who tested positive.

Other travelers are being monitored and tested while under quarantine, the department said.

In a statement to KEYE, the University of Texas at Austin confirmed that several travelers involved are students at the university.

“...many of those involved were UT Austin students,” the statement said, according to KEYE. “The university is working closely with Austin Public Health to assist in contact tracing. The incident is a reminder of the vital importance of taking seriously the warnings of public health authorities on the risks of becoming infected with COVID-19 and spreading it to others.”

Travis County has 305 confirmed cases of coronavirus and three deaths as of Thursday morning, according to the department.

This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 11:47 AM with the headline "44 Texas students test positive for coronavirus after spring break trip to Mexico."