Florida is becoming a vaccine tourism destination as foreigners and out-of-staters head there to get a COVID-19 shot

Business Insider logo

  • Florida is offering COVID-19 vaccines to adults aged 65 and up, and it’s not requiring proof of residency.
  • Some part-time residents and well-connected people from out of state are flying south to get their shots.
  • The governor discouraged vaccine tourism, but he said it’s OK for out-of-staters who winter in Florida to get vaccinated.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Although many states are now expanding their eligibility criteria for the COVID-19 vaccine, Florida was one of the first to offer the shot to adults aged 65 and older. The state’s broad vaccination plan has attracted travelers hoping to take advantage from near and far.

Vaccine-seekers have flocked to Florida from Canada and Argentina, as well as New York and other states, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Governor Ron DeSantis said in a press conference last week that most of these visitors are in fact part-time residents, not so-called “vaccine tourists.” “If they have a residence and they’re not just kind of flying by night for a week or two, I’m totally fine with that,” DeSantis said, according to the Journal. “That’s a little bit different than somebody that’s just doing tourism and trying to come here. So we’re discouraging people to come to Florida just to get a vaccine.”

However, the state’s current plan does not require proof of Florida residency for someone to get vaccinated.

Some vaccine tourists are ‘snowbirds’ who normally spend a season down south

Video: New vaccine recommendations for adults over 65 or with pre-existing conditions (ABC News)

  • Donald Trump wearing a suit and tie

    Historic House vote: 10 Republicans vote with Democrats to impeach President Trump

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • a person posing for the camera

    ABC News exclusive interview provides new insight on Jacob Blake shooting

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • a man holding a sign posing for the camera

    Researchers at Ohio State identify 2 new COVID-19 variants

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • John Santucci posing for the camera

    Future plans for President Trump, his family and business as term ends

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • a man standing in front of a book shelf

    President Trump faces Senate trial after historic House vote on impeachment

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • Donald Trump wearing a suit and tie

    ABC News Live Update: President Trump could face Senate trial on last day in office

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • Snapchat permanently bans Trump

    Snapchat permanently bans Trump

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • a store in a brick building

    Secret artists make tiny buildings for street mice

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • People flock to Brazil's Ipanema Beach despite new COVID-19 variant

    People flock to Brazil's Ipanema Beach despite new COVID-19 variant

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • a dog that is standing in the snow

    Paraplegic rescue dogs play in Minnesota snow

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • a tall building

    Security teams turn Washington, D.C., into fortress ahead of Inauguration Day

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • an animal lying on the beach

    Adorable baby seal soaks up sun at North Carolina beach

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • Donald Trump wearing a suit and tie

    Organizations boycotting President Trump

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • a close up of a logo

    NOTIFIED: Jan. 14, 2021

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • a group of stuffed animals sitting on top of a car

    Was the Capitol riot planned?

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • a large building

    President Trump faces second impeachment trial

    ABC News Logo

    ABC News

  • Donald Trump wearing a suit and tie
    Historic House vote: 10 Republicans vote with Democrats to impeach President Trump
    Discussions inside the White House include the upcoming Senate trial and a potential round of new presidential pardons, potentially one for President Trump himself.

    ABC News Logo
    ABC News

  • a person posing for the camera
    ABC News exclusive interview provides new insight on Jacob Blake shooting
    Sonia Pruitt and LZ Granderson discuss alternative actions officers could have taken, plus the overall impact Jacob Blake will have on the fight for racial equality.

    ABC News Logo
    ABC News

  • a man holding a sign posing for the camera
    Researchers at Ohio State identify 2 new COVID-19 variants
    Infectious disease specialist Dr. Todd Ellerin discusses the COVID-19 virus being "in full resurgence" in big cities.

    ABC News Logo
    ABC News

UP NEXT

Many “snowbirds”  – people who live in colder climates and migrate to Florida for the winter – canceled their trips this year due to the pandemic, but some are now considering rescheduling in light of the vaccine rollout, a Canadian travel insurance booker told CBS12 News.

“Canadians who had no intentions of going down in their traditional November-April period have now become interested because of the [vaccine] availability and are now starting to make arrangements to head south,” Martin Firestone, president of Travel Secure, told the outlet. “They all have it on their radar. There’s tremendous interest.”

Firestone told CBS12 all of the clients he’s spoken to are part-time Florida residents, not vaccine tourists.

If the snowbirds are planning on extending their visits, rather than flying in for the vaccine and returning home, it could be in the best interest of Florida communities to vaccinate their part-time residents.

“Regardless of where someone lives, if they are spending time in our community-on our beaches, in our restaurants, in our malls-they can be spreaders of this virus,” a representative of the Miami Jackson County Health Department told the Wall Street Journal.

For instance, a couple from Bethlehem, New York, told local paper the Times Union they flew to Florida and each received a dose of the Moderna vaccine on January 7. They’ve since returned to New York, but they plan to spend the rest of the winter in the Sunshine State after they get their second shots.

Source: Read Full Article