Story at a glance
- The university confirmed cases among 130 students and five employees between Aug. 10-16.
- As of Monday the university has confirmed 324 total cumulative positive cases of coronavirus since February 2020, including 279 cases among students and 45 among staff.
- The news comes as at least four clusters of cases emerged in several residence halls and a fraternity house less than a week from the start of the fall semester.
The University of North Carolina (UNC)- Chapel Hill announced on Monday that the school is pivoting from in-person instruction to remote learning for undergraduates after the university reported 135 new cases of COVID-19 in the past week.
UNC confirmed cases among 130 students and five employees between Aug. 10-16.
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As of Monday the university has confirmed 324 total cumulative positive cases of coronavirus since February 2020, including 279 cases among students and 45 among staff.
At least 177 students are in isolation and 349 are in quarantine, both on and off campus, due to potential exposure to the virus, according to the university.
All undergraduate in-person instruction will shift to remote learning on Wednesday. Graduate, professional and health affairs schools will continue to be taught as they are, or as directed by the schools.
“We understand the concern and frustrations these changes will raise with many students and parents,” UNC-Chapel Hill’s chancellor, Kevin M. Guskiewicz, and provost, Robert A. Blouin, wrote in a statement. “As much as we believe we have worked diligently to help create a healthy and safe campus living and learning environment, we believe the current data presents an untenable situation.”
The news comes as at least four clusters of cases emerged in several residence halls and a fraternity house less than a week from the start of the fall semester. The university has not specified how many cases were found in said clusters.
On Monday, the UNC-Chapel Hill dean of public health called for a change in the university’s reopening strategy.
“The rationale for taking an off-ramp now is that the number of clusters is growing and soon could become out of control, threatening the health of others on campus and in the community and putting scarce resources at risk,” Barbara K. Timer, dean of public health at UNC-Chapel Hill, wrote in a statement. “We have tried to make this work, but it is not working.”
The announcement comes as some schools across the country are working to bring students back to campus while others are holding virtual classes.
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