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A couple of weeks ago, Matt Levine's only concern was where could be find the best happy hour during Spring Break trip in South Padre Island, Texas.
Now all he wants is for his father to let him back into the house.
Levine and his friends from Springfield College in Massachusetts move forward with their spring break plans while residents in his hometown of Nanuet, NY, were preparing for a self-quarantine to protect themselves from COVID-19.
Levine's father pleaded with his son to not go on this trip still.
“I spoke with him every day and told him that maybe they should come home,” Pete told The New York Post. “I was aggravated. The news here was getting worse and worse. Matt sent me pictures of him and his friends congregating outdoors and listening to live music. It’s the scene you would not want to be in.”
Becoming increasingly frustrated with his son, Peter said his son and his friends were not allowed to stay at him after the trip.
“His grandparents live here and there is no need to expose them to god knows what he had been exposed to!” Peter explained.
Matt still went on the trip, but after four days it became clear he should've listened to his father's advice.
“We were only allowed to go to the beach in small groups and couldn’t have speakers; by then, there was basically no one on the island,” said Matt. “The police seemed like they were trying to ruin our good time.”
Levine and his friends stayed in Texas until last week and finally headed to the airport to catch a flight home to New York. But his flight was cancelled because of a confirmed coronavirus case. Eventually they found a flight home.
Matt's father refused to pick him up from the airport forcing the group to find a ride that would take them to Nanuet.
But once they arrived to Matt's home, his father refused to let him in.
“I had filled the trunk of Matt’s car with groceries and left him an envelope containing $300 in cash,” Peter said. “All the guys’ keys were on the front seat. They got out of the car [from the airport] near our driveway and I said, ‘Stay right there! Do not go any further!’ The guys were tired and they had a two-and-a-half hour drive ahead of them. I love my son, but they were not sleeping here. I said, ‘If any of you have to pee, we have some bushes.’ Two of them took me up on it.”
Matt's semester was officially moved to online classes, so he planned to move back home after his trip. Now he's forced to stay with his roommates in Massachusetts for a while longer.
“Their lease ends in June and none of the parents want them home,” said Peter. “It’s too risky.”
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