NC State moves classes online after off-campus parties spread COVID-19

North Carolina State University abruptly ended in-person instruction for its undergraduate students just weeks into the fall semester after a surge in coronavirus cases was traced back to large, off-campus parties.

As of Wednesday, the school reported that more than 500 students were in quarantine and isolation, mostly off-campus. The students have either tested positive themselves or been in contact with someone who has.

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"Battling the spread of COVID-19 is a challenging endeavor even when everyone is practicing safety measures," said Randy Woodson, chancellor of North Carolina State University. "Unfortunately, the actions of a few are jeopardizing the health and safety of the larger community."

Within a two-day span, officials discovered three COVID-19 clusters stemming from off-campus and Greek Village houses "that can be traced to parties and behavior outside of our community standards and the governor’s mandates," Woodson said.

In particular, he said, the university is has had "significant infections in Greek life" and that multiple Greek houses have been quarantined due to a number of positive cases.

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While the majority of the school's course hours were already online prior to the announcement, officials say the remaining in-person and hybrid classes will move to online-only instruction for the remainder of the fall semester.

Graduate courses and clinical education will be able to continue meeting in-person or in a hybrid format, however, and the university's research laboratories will also remain fully operational. University campus housing will stay open, too.

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