Virtual Classes Can't Stop Explosion of Off-Campus Virus Cases
Clusters of infections traced to apartments and frat houses
Students walk through the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Aug. 18.
Photographer: Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty ImagesEven with more universities replacing in-person classes with virtual ones, the threat of Covid-19 lingers in college towns with their shared apartments, Greek houses and spirit of untrammeled off-campus freedom.
At University of Notre Dame in Indiana, a surge of more than 150 positive cases in two days among its 12,000 students prompted the school to move to virtual instruction for at least two weeks. Contact tracing efforts, however, found that most of those cases stemmed from seniors living off campus.
Five of Sean Ebben’s six roommates tested positive this week. Still, Ebben said he plans to stay in the six-bedroom split-level home they share. The school moved one infected roommate to a quarantine apartment, but the four others are planning to stay in the house, based on guidance from the university, Ebben said. He tested negative Tuesday morning through a rapid test at the football stadium.
“We’re trying to divide the house up so we’re separated a little bit,” said the 21-year-old accounting major. “We are trying to figure it out as we go.”
On Thursday, North Carolina State in Raleigh joined the growing list of universities moving classes online after seeing a jump in Covid-19 cases. And Notre Dame reported 75 new cases as the football team announced that five of its members tested positive this week.