GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Calvin University has instructed all students, faculty and staff to stay in place for the next two weeks after an “alarmingly rapid increase” in positive coronavirus cases reported last week.
The university issued a 14-day “improved physical distance” guideline that started at 12:01 pm on Tuesday, February 9, according to an email sent to students and staff on Monday night. All Calvin students, staff and teachers are expected to avoid meetings and remain in their places of residence, with exceptions for school and work.
The directive will expire on February 23, but it can be extended depending on the campus positivity rate at that time, said Calvin President Michael Le Roy.
The president said that there was an “extraordinary increase and spread” of COVID-19 among Calvin students in the past few days, attributed by Le Roy to some students who ignored the social detachment guidelines.
As of Monday night, there were 41 active cases at Calvin University, compared to just five active cases reported a week earlier on February 1, according to the university’s data panel.
There are 35 active cases among campus students, four cases for off-campus students and two cases for employees, the data show. There are 119 students in quarantine after being identified as close contacts of a positive case.
University leaders attribute the recent increase in cases to some students who have become less diligent about health and safety protocols, as well as delays in reporting COVID symptoms.
“We saw evidence of a high number of close contacts because of social gatherings, failure to stay two meters away and disregarding occupancy limits in common spaces,” said Sarah Visser, co-chair of the COVID Response Team for Calvin.
“While it is understandable that people are getting tired of the current situation, it is when we are relaxed that the virus gets even more dangerous.”
Students can attend classes in person during the 14-day period, but Le Roy said teachers will inform students whether classes will be in person or remotely over the next two weeks.
Meetings on and off campus are prohibited by the directive. There are some exceptions under the order when students are allowed to leave their residence, including:
- Attend a face-to-face class
- Picking up meals in a cafeteria
- Using the Internet on campus or study spaces
- Conducting surveys or jobs that must be performed in person
- Participate in COVID-19 screening or diagnostic testing
- Receiving medical care
On-campus cafeterias will only be open for delivery requests, and students must have meals in their rooms. All public areas of the campus will be closed, according to the email to students.
Some activities by the athletic team have been suspended due to the number of positive cases and close contacts with those teams, said Le Roy.
Athletic activities are being evaluated team by team and all indoor sports will be interrupted for the next 14 days.
Students who do not comply with the order to stay at home may be subject to disciplinary action, said Le Roy.
“We must reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community to persist in living and learning on campus together this semester,” he wrote in the email.
There have been a total of 379 positive COVID-19 cases in Calvin since August 1, according to the data panel.
Calvin issued the order to stay on site regardless of the Kent County Department of Health, although university officials notified the health department of the two-week directive, Visser said.
A similar home order was issued recently by the University of Michigan’s Washtenaw County Health Department, which expired on February 7. The recommendation was addressed to undergraduate, graduate and professional students enrolled this winter and residents on or off campus in Washtenaw County.
Washtenaw County health officials cited a significant increase in younger residents as the reason for the request, as well as a series of cases identified in the UM of the COVID-19 B.1.1.7 variant.
Grand Valley State University also issued a similar home stay order during the fall semester, as a result of the increase in cases at the time.
The 14-day emergency home care order began on September 17 and ended on October 1, but was extended for another two weeks with less restrictive guidelines so that health officials could continue to monitor the spread of the virus among students .
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