A coronavirus outbreak has swept the University of Southern California fraternity row, school officials said Thursday.
At least 40 people living on a street where several of the school’s students are have tested positive for COVID-19, director of student health Sarah Van Orman told The Los Angeles Times.
“A significant number of the cases were associated with four fraternity houses,” said Van Orman.
To date, about 150 USC students and employees have been infected with the virus.
University officials said the actions of members of the off-campus community are crucial to stem the spread of the outbreak.
“Unless we all understand that our only tools right now are physical distancing and wearing masks, we will continue to have devastation, not only in terms of the economy, our learning, our academics, our jobs, but also people they die, “Van Orman said.
“Each of us has to decide what we represent. Frauds need to do that too. “
Although the outbreak affected fraternity houses, it was unclear whether those infected included fraternity members, who often rent rooms during the summer, Van Orman said.
The outbreak among USC droppings is almost over, he added, citing continued testing and aggressive contact tracing, as well as the mandatory quarantine ordered by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
The school first reported 15 positive cases in a fraternity row in a July 9 press release.
“We haven’t seen more cases in the last week or so,” said Van Orman.
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