Villanova University Mulls Going Virtual as Coronavirus Numbers Spike on Campus

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Image via Alejandro A. Alvarez, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Students arrive on campus last August.

It’s only been a week since the spring semester started at Villanova University and they’ve already logged 186 active coronavirus cases, writes Susan Snyder for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

In the fall, Villanova had some in-person instruction but didn’t reach 200 cases until two months into the semester.

If the trend continues, the school may return to all-remote instruction.

“We must immediately act in ways that will bring our numbers down and we must do this together,” wrote the Rev. John P. Stack, vice president for student life in a Jan. 31 email to students.

Students have been asked to wear masks when not in residences, to keep social distanced and avoid gatherings without masks. He wrote that the university has the resources to handle the current situation, but that the numbers weren’t sustainable.

Three-quarters of the coronavirus cases seen since Jan. 19 come from students living on campus.

The university has about 6,500 undergraduates, 5,000 on campus.

Students, faculty and staff on campus were required to be tested before the start of the semester. No specific event has been linked to the rise in cases, said university spokesman Jonathan Gust.

Read more about Villanova’s case numbers at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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