The University of Notre Dame on Wednesday reported at least 222 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 on its campus – just two weeks into the fall semester. The university on Tuesday canceled all classes in person and move all instructions online for at least two weeks as it re-evaluates its security protocols.
The number of positive cases of coronavirus on the South Bend, Indiana campus has increased by 75 since Tuesday when the school announced it would temporarily move all learning online. About 1,287 people have been tested for the virus since the semester began on August 3, a small fraction of the school’s 12,681 graduate students and 1,396 faculty members.
The updated test data indicate a positivity figure of 17.2%, which is more than three times the rate that the World Health Organization recommends for states to reopen.
Notre Dame does not send students home yet, and advised students to stay on campus except in emergency situations. It also limited all student meetings to 10 people or less.
However, the president of the university, Rev. John Jenkins, warned that students would be sent home if the situation did not improve. “If these steps are not successful, we will have to send students home as we did last spring,” Jenkins said in a conference call.
The university said it is arranging housing on campus for students who test positive for “quarantine of isolation facilities.” When a student is placed in one, they will provide food, toiletries and other necessities to them through the school’s contact team.
University officials have infected the excitement at parties on campus, where students did not wear masks and social distance was not practiced. Officials on Tuesday said the vast majority of positive tests were among seniors living off-campus.
Some students believe that the number of positive cases at the university could be much higher. Students told CBS South Bend affiliate WSBT-TV that the school’s test program is not as robust as they were told it would be, and many say the school should be completely remote.
Notre Dame is not the only university backtracking on its re-campus. Hundreds of institutions have canceled personal curricula and are sending students home, including the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and the entire California State University system. Many others, including Brown University and the University of Maryland, have delayed start dates.
Kate Smith contributed to this report.
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