WACO, TX — The outbreak of coronavirus is forcing people to rethink their spring break plans, but destinations like Cameron Park Zoo say business is booming because the zoo is not only a fun option, but a safe one.
Texas A&M Central Texas students Leslie Trujillo and Hunter Mullican said they had to change their spring break plans to San Antonio because of coronavirus concerns.
"We actually planned on going to San Antonio to start off with. We don't really want to run the risk, so it's just kind of better to stick close and go somewhere that hasn't been affected that well by it," said Mullican
They said because Waco has no cases of coronavirus, they rerouted their spring break plans and visited Cameron Park Zoo instead.
"They have hand sanitizer everywhere, so we really like that too," said Trujillo
Grandparents Marylin and Anthony Warren are from Bryan and had spring break plans with their family in Galveston, but decided Waco was the safest option.
"I'm kind of jittery about the whole thing that's going on, but the main thing was to get the kids out to the zoo. We've been here before. We enjoyed it. We thought we'd come back," said Anthony.
Cameron Park Zoo told 25 News attendance this time last year was around 46,000 guests. The zoo said they don't expect it to be any slower than they've been in the past and are ready for spring breakers.
"We've taken extra precautions with extra hand sanitizer available for the public and our employees, as well as extra cleaning and extra cleaning schedules throughout the zoo," said Cameron Park Zoo Director Chris Vanskike.
Staff has hand sanitizer at the entrance and throughout the zoo to not only keep guests and staff safe, but to ensure animals remain safe as well.
"That's why we have the big bottle out here. Everybody has been using it, and it's been awesome," said Cameron Park Zoo gift shop employee Riley Gonzales.
Cameron Park Zoo staff said they receive constant updates by health officials, and right now have no plans to close. In fact they have many new attractions and activities planned in the next few months.
