CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced Monday it will shift to all-remote undergraduate classes after confirming Sunday that a fourth cluster of novel coronavirus cases had been detected on campus since resuming in-person instruction Aug. 10.
To date, university officials have confirmed a total of 177 cases of COVID-19 infections among students, with another 349 students in quarantine both on and off campus due to possible exposure to the virus, The Washington Post reported.
The announced changes take effect Wednesday, and students will be allowed to vacate campus housing without financial penalty, according to a university statement.
“We understand the concern and frustrations these changes will raise with many students and parents,” Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz and Provost Robert A. Blouin wrote in the joint statement. “As much as we believe we have worked diligently to help create a healthy and safe campus living and learning environment, we believe the current data presents an untenable situation.”
University officials have designated one UNC-Chapel Hill to house COVID-19-positive students only and a second to quarantine those who had come into close contact with an infected person, the Post reported.
Prior to Sunday’s confirmation of a fourth cluster at the 30,000-student flagship state university, outbreaks had already been recorded in three UNC-Chapel Hill residence halls and a fraternity house, NPR reported.
“After only one week of campus operations, with growing numbers of clusters and insufficient control over the off-campus behavior of students (and others), it is time for an off-ramp. We have tried to make this work, but it is not working,” Barbara K. Rimer, the university’s dean of public health wrote in a statement released Monday.
According to the Post, UNC-Chapel Hill has about 20,000 undergraduates and 10,000 graduate students. Of those students, roughly 5,800, or fewer than two-thirds’ capacity, had registered for on-campus housing with the lion’s share of students opting to live off campus in Chapel Hill and other neighboring communities.
Clusters, the Post reported, are defined as at least five cases occurring in a single residence
Off-campus gatherings, however, have prompted the most scrutiny with Guskiewicz, the chancellor, penning a recent letter to fraternities, sororities and other groups reminding them of the university’s stringent public health and social distancing protocols.
According to NPR, UNC-Chapel Hill had been preparing for five months to identify, trace and isolate potential positive cases, both on and off campus, as part of its fall reopening plan that included guidelines for face coverings, physical distancing and on-campus gatherings.