Duke University has instituted a one week stay-in-place order for underclassmen due to an increasing number of coronavirus infections on campus, a situation that led it vaunted basketball team to miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1995.
According to NBC News, more than 180 students have been diagnosed with coronavirus, and another 200 are in quarantine due to contact tracing. “This is by far the largest one-week number of positive tests and quarantines since the start of the pandemic,” administrators wrote in announcing the lockdown Saturday.
The letter said the spread of the virus was accelerated by “recruitment parties for selective living groups.” The administration ordered students to stay in their residents and said coursework, including labs, would be done in a virtual environment.
Students living off-campus are barred from coming on-campus, and all common areas will be closed during the lockdown. Students should only leave their residences for essentials such as food, health care or safety, administrators said.
Any student returning from travel are required to submit to testing upon their return.