Several midshipmen returning to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., Have tested positive for COVID-19, the Navy confirmed on Monday.
Spokesman for Naval Academy Cdr. Alana Garas told The Hill that of the less than 4,000 midshipmen living in Bancroft Hall, the school’s main bedroom, “less than 2 percent” are currently COVID-19 positive.
ABC News first reported the positive test results.
The Department of Defense does not release the exact number of infected persons into military units or facilities due to operational security concerns.
Garas added that the school began a mid-July return in mid-July and expects about 90 percent of students to be back in Annapolis by mid-September.
The leadership of the Naval Academy announced earlier this month that midshipmen would be brought back for the fall semester, beginning Wednesday, for a combination of personal and online classes, although person classes will be at half capacity.
The academy also decided to limit Bancroft Hall’s occupancy to about 90 percent, with about 4,100 of the 4,600 midshipmen living in dormancy “to maintain adequate space for quarantine and isolation, as well as the population density in the building. reduce. “
For the remaining about 500 midshipmen, “several alternatives have been explored for suitable accommodations,” according to the school.
The Naval Academy joins the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., And the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY, to return its students to campus for the fall semester.
The Air Force Academy, which began its academic year last week, had the entire class of about 4,400 cadets returned to classes divided between online and in-person, with smaller personal-class formats.
The school also said it would accommodate at least 400 students in off-campus hotels by the fall semester.
At West Point, meanwhile, about 1.5 percent of students tested positive when their 4,400 cadets returned in July for summer training.
—Updated at 4:05 p.m.
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