Students on campus at the University of Notre Dame
Alfredo Sosa | The Christian Science Monitor | Getty Images
An off-campus party has led to a spike in coronavirus cases at Notre Dame University, which now reports more than 50 total cases since classes were returned just two weeks ago, according to a university official.
Notre Dame reported 58 Covid-19 cases as of Sunday, a sudden uptick in infections about a week since students returned to campus for the fall semester, according to their coronavirus dashboard last Monday. Half of the 30 tests processed only on Sunday were positive.
Balloon fats have reportedly since the university reported its first positive case on August 6th. With more than 11.5% of the roughly 500 tests performed so far positively.
Nearly 12,000 students were tested before entering campus as part of the university’s pre-screening efforts, and only 33 tests, well below 1%, returned positive, according to the university.
Paul Browne, a university spokesman, told the South Bend Tribune on Friday that many of the growing cases were traced to an off-campus party. He said partygoers have no social distance or wear face masks. A Notre Dame spokesman was not immediately made available to CNBC for comment.
“What reinforces it is our concern that it only takes a weak link,” Browne told the Tribune. “You can have a very strong chain, but if you only have one weak chain, it can lead to spike numbers.”
Browne added that university officials believe they can continue in-person classes.
The outbreak comes as Notre Dame tries to reopen his campus while controlling the spread of the coronavirus. The university said it is testing surveillance, which could help determine how widespread the virus is, and will conduct daily health checks.
Notre Dame is not the only university trying to contain outbreaks since the campus opened. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced Monday that it is canceling undergraduate classes after an outbreak spread across its campus within a few weeks.
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