As colleges continue to reopen for in-person classes amid the pandemic, reports of students testing positive for the coronavirus are not all too surprising. Of course, the numbers coming out of some institutions are a lot bigger than others. For example, according to the University of Alabama System dashboard, more than 1,000 students have now tested positive for COVID-19 since classes resumed. How long have classes been in session? Less than two weeks.
As Daily Kos previously covered, less than a week after classes resumed on August 19, there were over 500 cases between students, faculty, and staff. Before that, over 300 students tested positive for the virus when tested before arriving back on campus. According to CNN, no students have been hospitalized due to COVID-19.
As The Daily Beast reported, faculty members from multiple departments reportedly received emails directing them not to talk about the virus outbreak on campus. The email also instructed against posting about the outbreak on social media, referencing HIPAA concerns.
The university has more than one campus location—with Tuscaloosa being the largest, at close to 40,000 students—including in Birmingham and Huntsville. Its Birmingham location has reported more than 150 student cases, and Huntsville has reported 10.
What’s potentially behind the uptick at the main campus? With so many factors at play in any analysis of the virus, it’s impossible to know for sure. But some trends are bubbling up at universities across the country. According to the Associated Press, Dr. Ricky Friend told the outlet, “We encountered many students who have been exposed since returning to campus, particularly in the Greek system.”
Off-campus Greek life houses, including for fraternities and sororities, have been linked with case clusters at colleges across the nation, including in Seattle, Washington, and Oxford, Mississippi. In Alabama’s case, they’ve now banned student gatherings, as well as visitors to sorority and fraternity houses, for two weeks. The mayor of Tuscaloosa, Walt Maddox, directed all bars, and bar services in restaurants, to shutter for 14 days as well.
As reported by The Washington Post, a spokesperson for the university, Monica Watts, said there was no evidence the virus was spreading in classrooms.
Outside of colleges, coronavirus clusters are, of course, still a source of real concern for children and teenagers returning to in-person classes. Positive cases among students have already been reported from around the country; some teachers are responding to being called back to work by writing their own obituaries. Others are marching with mock caskets and skeletons.
