One of the Florida spring break students who brushed aside concerns about the coronavirus apologized, saying he was “not proud of” his remarks.
“I would like to sincerely apologize for the insensitive comment I made in regards to COVID-19 while on spring break,” Florida spring breaker Brady Sluder said in a Sunday post on Instagram. “I’d like to take this time to own up to the mistakes I’ve made and apologize to the people I’ve offended.”
“Listen to your communities and do as health officials say. Life is precious. Don’t be arrogant and think you’re invincible like myself. I’ve learned from these trying times and I’ve felt the repercussions to the fullest,” he added. “Unfortunately, simply apologizing doesn’t justify my behavior. I’m simply owning up to my mistakes and taking full responsibility for my actions. Thank you for your time, and stay safe everyone.”
Sluder went viral for dismissing the severity of the coronavirus in an interview with Reuters. “If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I’m not going to let it stop me from partying,” he said last week in the interview.
“I’m not gonna let it stop me from partying”: Some spring break visitors in South Florida lamented the restricted access to beaches and entertainment as public health and government officials race against the clock to curtail the spreading coronavirus. https://t.co/8gBUuhcskw pic.twitter.com/LQKBQO5SwG
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) March 18, 2020
Sluder and his fellow spring break revelers who were interviewed were widely blasted online for their behavior.
