Duke University issued a “stay-in-place” order for undergraduate students due to a coronavirus outbreak on campus.
The outbreak is believed to have originated with prospective students who attended recruitment parties, the university said. The order is applicable only to undergraduate students.
Effective at midnight, Mar. 13, all Duke undergraduate students are required to stay-in-place until 9 a.m., Sunday, Mar. 21
The goal of the stay-in-place period is to stop the spread of COVID among the undergraduate population as quickly as possible https://t.co/NNgOaQPU3q pic.twitter.com/VSsXQYELlX
— Duke University (@DukeU) March 14, 2021
The new restrictions will go into effect Saturday evening at midnight and last until 9 a.m. Sunday, March 21, the Duke Chronicle reported.
“Over the past week more than 180 students are in isolation for a positive COVID 19 test, and an additional 200 students are in quarantine as a result of contact tracing,” school officials said in a message to students, according to NBC News. “This is by far the largest one-week number of positive tests and quarantines since the start of the pandemic.”
Classes will all be online during the lockdown with a few exceptions, school officials wrote in a Saturday evening message to undergraduates, the Chronicle reported. (RELATED: College Drug Ring Funneling Through Duke, UNC, Other Schools Busted)
Anyone caught repeatedly violating the orders will be subjected to discipline including suspension and dismissal from Duke, Fox News reported.
“Our ability to complete the semester, commencement for our seniors, and the health and safety of our community, including your fellow undergraduate students, is hanging in the balance,” school officials said.
Duke identified 53 positive coronavirus cases, 46 of them students, during the week of March 1-7. Seven of the cases were faculty members, the school reported.
“This action is necessary to contain the rapidly escalating number of COVID cases among Duke undergraduates, which is principally driven by students attending recruitment parties for selective living groups,” the school announced.
“If this feels serious, it’s because it is. This stay-in-place period is strongly recommended by our medical experts,” the university stated.