COVID-19 Outbreaks Occur as Students Return to Campus

Following a string of outbreaks, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will move to an online-only semester.

Written byLisa Winter

| 7 min read

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As college campuses across the US welcome students back for the start of the semester, numerous universities are faced with isolating individuals who are testing positive for COVID-19, Inside Higher Ed reports. For the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), the spread of multiple clusters of COVID-19 cases has caused the school to transition to online-only classes for the duration of the semester, effective Wednesday, August 19.

After the first week of in-person classes, UNC announced four COVID-19 outbreaks, resulting in the quarantine of three residence halls and one off-campus fraternity house, totaling 130 students and five staff members since August 10. The Daily Tar Heel, UNC’s student newspaper, tweeted Monday afternoon that in the wake of these cases, the university is suspending in-person instruction.

Some of the earliest COVID-19 outbreaks on college campuses involved football players who returned to school up to ...

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Meet the Author

Lisa Winter
Lisa joined The Scientist in 2017. As social media editor, some of her duties include creating content, managing interactions, and developing strategies for the brand’s social media presence. She also contributes to the News & Opinion section of the website. Lisa holds a degree in Biological Sciences with a concentration in genetics, cell, and developmental biology from Arizona State University and has worked in science communication since 2012.
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