Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., is requiring all of its students to quarantine for two weeks and is reverting to remote learning because of concerns that clusters of Covid-19 cases are linked to off-campus gatherings.
The Pantagraph reports that students at the college must limit non-essential interactions, stay in their off-campus apartments, residence halls or Greek houses and take classes remotely for 14 days. They have been ordered not to gather with anyone besides roommates, have guests over or patronize restaurants and bars.
Bradley has tallied about 50 Covid-19 cases so far, the university says, and the emergency measures it has put into place are needed to respond to the outbreak without disrupting academic progress.
“Although it may seem extreme, this move to temporary remote learning and a two-week, all-student quarantine allows us to focus on the continuity of the educational experience for all of our students while giving us time to gather data on the full extent of the spread of the virus and assess the best way to proceed as a community,” Bradley President Stephen Standifird said in a campus message.
More than 500 students were in quarantine as of Tuesday morning, and the numbers are expected to rise over the next few days.
The school served about 4,600 undergraduate students last year, but it isn''t clear how many had returned for fall classes.
Students who fail to comply with the quarantine and new campus guidelines will be subject to discipline, up to and including dismissal from campus.
During the quarantine, students can leave their residences to pick up meals, run essential errands, go to work and spend time outside while wearing a mask.
Standifird cautioned students not to move home during the temporary restrictions, saying that would complicate contact tracing and increase the risk of introducing new cases to the campus community.
He also rebuked students who have ignored the calls to wear masks and distance from others in small and large groups.
“Many of our positive cases can be traced back to these gatherings," Standifird said. “It’s actions like these that are putting people at risk and threatening our ability to stay on campus throughout the semester.”
