Notre Dame says it will move undergraduate classes online for the next two weeks and close public spaces on campus. The announcement follows a spike in COVID-19 cases. 80 new cases were reported Monday, raising the total number of infected students to 147.
Before students returned to school, Notre Dame recorded a 0.3% positivity rate. Just more than a week since classes began, it increased to 19.1%. The university says most cases can be traced back to off-campus parties.
Notre Dame President Father Jenkins says disciplinary action will not be taken on any student parties that have been reported through contact tracing.
“If however, we learn of a serious violation of our policies from other sources, we will take disciplinary action,” he said.
Rev. Jenkins said he decided against sending students home after consulting with health care experts. Instead, the university is imposing restrictions on student activity starting Wednesday, including limiting access to dormitories to residents and barring students from major gathering places on campus.
The university says, until further notice, off-campus students should not visit campus. After September 2, officials will make the decision whether to return to in-person instruction or send students back home.
Classes at Indiana University start on Monday with students taking a mix of online and in person classes. IU is mandating that students returning to campus must undergo COVID-19 testing
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The Associated Press contributed to this story.
