200+ Student Coronavirus Cases Confirmed At UA As Classes Resume

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The University of Alabama System says 205 students enrolled at the University of Alabama's Tuscaloosa campus tested positive for the coronavirus from Jan. 13-21, following the beginning of the spring semester and in-person instruction last week. Along with the new student virus cases, 22 faculty and staff also tested positive during this time.

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In terms of isolation space to begin the semester, UA says the Tuscaloosa campus is at 10.62% occupancy, with 55 of 518 rooms currently utilized as quarantine space for students living on campus.

"UA System data consistently reflects increases in employee and student positive cases during campus closures, signifying there is greater safety on-campus than in the community," the system said in its COVID-19 Dashboard update on Friday. "The number of positive cases has dropped significantly since the resumption of on-campus activities. We continue to test all members of the campus community, whether on- or off-campus, who request the procedure."

What's more, the university system also claims record numbers of off-campus positive cases over the holiday break showed that experts correctly predicted post-Thanksgiving and winter break surges.

Patch reported last week that as students returned for in-person instruction, the university said it would allow faculty the option to hold classes remotely for the first two weeks of the semester, which came following widespread criticism leveled at the school and city after thousands gathered on The Strip to celebrate Alabama's national championship win over Ohio State on Jan. 11.

While the latest coronavirus case totals may seem high, when placed into context the first few days of the spring semester proved a far cry from the fall, when the Tuscaloosa campus saw 1,043 COVID-19 cases confirmed in the first two weeks of in-person instruction.

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