UC Berkeley reports 47 cases of coronavirus linked to frat parties
The new cases – all developed in one week – has more than tripled the school's caseload since the beginning of the pandemic to 70
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A spike of at least 47 new cases of coronavirus in one week is being linked to fraternity and sorority parties at the University of California, Berkeley, the school said Wednesday.
BERKELEY STUDENTS PLANNING FRAUDULENT COURSE TO CIRCUMVENT ICE RULES, AVOID DEPORTATIONS
The majority of new cases stemmed from these parties and included students and other people, who then spread the disease to households and within smaller gatherings, according to a school-wide memo by the university's Health Services Medical Director Anna Harte and Assistant Vice Chancellor Guy Nicolette.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Generally, these infections are directly related to social events where students have not followed basic safety measures such as physical distancing, wearing face coverings, limiting event size and gathering outside," the memo said.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
The university has begun contact tracing and reaching out to anyone who may have been in close contact with students who tested positive for COVID-19, advising them to self-quarantine and get tested.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The University's Health Services said the surge in cases has more than tripled the school's caseload, which was reportedly 23 cases at the start of the pandemic in March.
The new positive cases have also hampered plans to bring students, staff and faculty back on campus for the start of the fall semester, the school said.
"At the rate we are seeing increases in cases, it’s becoming harder to imagine bringing our campus community back in the way we are envisioning," the university said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
UC Berkeley plans on allowing students back on campus at limited capacity and with campuswide mask mandates unless a person is alone in their room or office.