The blockade order at UC Berkeley was lifted at midnight on Tuesday, ending an ‘auto-kidnapping’ for college students that initially started on February 1. The order that affected about 2,000 people who lived in UC Berkeley dormitories, allowed students to “leave their room only for medical care, food, mandatory exams and in an emergency,” according to Daily Cal.
The blockade began due to a sudden increase on campus in January that saw more than 400 people, mostly students, contract the coronavirus. But on Monday, students were notified in a bulletin that began: “We are writing today to share some good news: the number of COVID-19 cases within campus residents has continued its downward trend, which means that we can raise the general self kidnap for students in the residential hall at 11:59 pm tonight.
Students were told that they can now go to cafeterias, which were off limits during the blockade, but they were also instructed to continue to “limit personal interaction to their family group, practice physical detachment, wash their hands frequently and use facial coverings. “
And while they can go out and exercise at a physical distance, students were also reminded that the situation remains very serious and that mandatory coronavirus testing is mandatory for “all residents in our residential corridors, apartments and suites” twice per week .