Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Rocky Start For Colleges
NPR: To Keep Campuses Safe, Some Colleges To Test Students For Coronavirus Twice A Week
As students return to the campus of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign this month, they will be tested for COVID-19. And, then they'll be tested, again. "We are requiring testing two times per week for access to campus facilities. This is for students, faculty, and staff," explains Rebecca Lee Smith, an associate professor of epidemiology. (Aubrey, 8/15)
CNN: 23 OSU Sorority Members Test Positive For Covid-19
An Oklahoma State University sorority house is under quarantine after 23 members tested positive for Covid-19, according to the university. "Last night OSU officials learned of 23 positive COVID cases in an off-campus sorority house. The rapid antigen testing was performed at an off-campus health care facility," a statement from the university read. The entire sorority house is in isolation or quarantine after the confirmed cases, and residents "will be prohibited from leaving the facility," the university said. (Thorton, 8/16)
NPR: Less Than A Week After Starting Classes, UNC-Chapel Hill Reports 4 COVID-19 Clusters
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced on Sunday that it identified another cluster of coronavirus cases on campus, the fourth reported in three days. State health officials define "clusters" as five or more cases in a single residential hall or dwelling. The latest cluster is located at Hinton James Residence Hall, the university said in an alert. According to the university's website, the living space typically houses over 900 students, many of whom are in their first year. (Treisman, 8/16)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Several Students Test Positive For COVID After Ga. University Reopens
Several students from Milledgeville’s Georgia College tested positive for COVID-19 during the first days of classes, according to the university. The school was among the first of Georgia’s 26 public colleges and universities to resume in-person instruction, which began Wednesday. (Hallerman, 8/16)
Boston Globe: Colleges Are Asking Students To Sign Waivers And Consent Agreements If They Want To Return To Campus
College students who want to step foot on campus this fall will have to first sign a form acknowledging they understand the dangers of COVID-19 and in some cases relinquish their right to take legal action if they get sick. Along with the code of conduct manuals and reminders to wear masks, colleges across the country are also including unprecedented agreements, waivers, and risk acknowledgement forms in their back-to-school packets this year. (Fernandes, 8/16)
CNN: Georgia College Party: Videos Show A Mostly Maskless Crowd Gathered At Off-Campus Housing
As coronavirus cases among young people continue to spread throughout the country, videos posted to social media show a large gathering near one Georgia college with partiers crowded together and not appearing to wear masks. The large group of people congregated at an off-campus housing apartment complex near the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega on Saturday night, the university's executive director of communications, Sylvia Carson, told CNN in an emailed statement on Sunday. (Silverman, 8/17)
Also —
The Washington Post: U-Md. Students Stage Protest, Continue To Fight Lease Agreements At Campus Apartments
Gavin Kohn, 21, signed his lease to live in the Courtyards, an apartment on the University of Maryland’s campus in College Park, in February. The novel coronavirus, at that point, had arrived in the United States, but the then-junior didn’t know it would upend the school year. But as the virus raged on, it became clear his senior year was also in jeopardy. The university scaled back on-campus housing, announced plans to conduct 80 percent of undergraduate courses online and imposed coronavirus testing requirements. Kohn, and about 500 other students who had planned to live in the Courtyards and its sister property, South Campus Commons, started to feel wary about living in groups. But, bound by their leases, they may be forced to do it, anyway. (Lumpkin, 8/16)
