Coronavirus Outbreaks Linked to Fraternity Houses are a Warning for College Campuses

Recent coronavirus outbreaks have been linked to fraternities at universities in Washington, California and Mississippi, and experts say it’s an example of what’s to come as many colleges reopen for in-person classes beginning in August. At least 136 fraternity house residents and nine other students at the University of Washington in Seattle had tested positive for COVID-19 as of July 10 in what officials called a “Greek Row outbreak.” It “provides lessons for students as they consider their return to campus this fall,” said Dr. Geoffrey Gottlieb, chair of the university’s Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases. Officials at the University of California, Berkeley, said Wednesday that a “concerning” spike of 47 new COVID-19 cases among students was linked to the school’s fraternities and sororities. The university is currently planning to open for limited in-person learning, bringing up to 6,500 students back to on-campus housing in August. But this outbreak could change that. “At the rate we are seeing increases in cases, it’s becoming harder to imagine bringing our campus community back in the way we are envisioning,” university officials said. And at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., city officials linked more than 160 COVID-19 cases among students to off-campus fraternity rush parties in June. “There’s a substantial risk of similar outbreaks occurring at other uni...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Education Source Type: news