The University of South Carolina is asking for surveillance after the school registered more than 1,000 cases of active coronavirus among students.
According to a university panel, there are currently 1,026 cases of coronavirus on the Columbia, SC campus on Thursday, with most of them among students. Another 166 cases have been reported since August 1, but are no longer considered active.
In a letter on Tuesday to faculty and school staff, university president Bob Caslen wrote that “Our total number of active cases is greater than we expected at this point, and some off-campus student behavior is disappointing and unacceptable. We are facing these realities and taking action ”.
Caslen said the university had instituted additional quarantines in Greek homes, with nine homes quarantined after students in the homes tested positive for coronavirus. The university also issued provisional suspensions against 15 students and four student organizations for hosting parties or large meetings in the midst of the pandemic.
The president added that all students who tested positive for COVID-19 were asymptomatic or slightly symptomatic prior to their diagnosis. No student has needed hospitalization since fall semester classes began last month.
The university is offering a combination of online and face-to-face courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, according to the school’s panel.
The spread of the virus at school also occurs when the University of Alabama reported that 1,043 students tested positive for COVID-19 between August 19 and 27. Since the beginning of the year, a total of 1,201 students have had positive tests there.
Colleges and universities across the country have struggled to get back to school, as schools adopt face-to-face, virtual and hybrid models for students.