Coronavirus: 211 UT-Austin Students Took Trip, 49 Now Infected

AUSTIN, Texas — The local coronavirus outbreak sparked by University of Texas at Austin students returning to Austin infected by the virus is far greater than originally believed: 211 students made the trip to coastal Mexico during spring break against health officials’ advice with 49 now diagnosed positive for respiratory illness, officials revealed on Friday.

Earlier this week, a university spokesman told Patch via email 44 students had come down with the virus from a group of 170 who made the trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, during the March 14-19 academic break. On Friday, university officials revised the count in confirming 211 students made the ill-advised trip, and 49 are now infected with the virus causing respiratory illness — a number likely to grow in the coming days, officials said in a press advisory.

The number includes 178 students who participated in a trip organized by the travel vendor JusCollege along with 33 who made separate arrangements, university officials said.

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“This incident is an urgent reminder of the responsibilities students have to their communities, each other and themselves,” Soncia Reagins-Lilly, the university’s vice president for student affairs and dean of students, said in a prepared statement. “We are deeply concerned for the health of the students affected and for their broader impact on the communities where they live.”

University officials now are working with Austin Public Health in tracing all known participants from the university to ensure public health measures in averting further illness spread, the dean said.

The number of those infected could rise: “Although that total may still rise in days to come, it is thought that any further additions will be minimal, due to the low number of people potentially remaining to be tested from the UT Austin cluster," officials explained in the press release.

Those testing positive have been directed to self-isolate for a minimum of seven days from the onset of symptoms with at least two days beyond that period once the symptoms dissipate, officials said. Those who are asymptomatic with negative test results were directed to self-quarantine for 14 days from last exposure in adherence to established public health protocols, according to the university.

And yet school officials suggested the total number of infected students may be just the tip of the iceberg. The university is not aware of the total number of students from the other universities who attended JusCollege trips to the region, officials said.

“UT-Austin urges JusCollege to reach out to the other universities whose students took part in their organized trips to ensure the level of contact tracing and outreach necessary to support the health of the participants and the communities they returned to,” officials wrote.

While Mexico was not under a federal travel advisory at the time of the trip, school officials said students were highly urged to take extra precautions — particularly if planning foreign travel.
“Although UT prohibited students from traveling abroad on university-sponsored programs, the university relies on students to act responsibly in matters of personal, non-university-sponsored travel,” officials wrote.

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Among measures taken to limit the spread of COVID-19, the university has moved all classes online, instructed students not to return to campus, canceled university events, and directed Austin-based students and employees to adhere to the city’s “Stay Home – Work Safe” order, school officials noted.

In a video message to UT students earlier this week, Dr. Terrance Hines, chief medical officer of University Health Services, stressed the importance of following public health guidelines while practicing social distancing.

“Not only can it help young people from getting infected, but it can also prevent them — sometimes without symptoms — from passing the virus on to parents and grandparents and others in our community,” Hines said. “It’s also important to note that while many young people have only mild symptoms, many have had serious infections requiring hospitalization.”

Speculation has since run rampant as to the affected students’ identities, Reagins-Lilly acknowledged. Given the resulting rumor mill, she advised others to refrain from spreading misinformation, noting there is no indication any particular student organizations on campus are connected to the trip.

“As we enter a new reality of working together remotely, relying on online tools, it’s vital that we show respect for one another,” Reagins-Lilly said. “We should resist the temptation to single out members of our community. COVID-19 is affecting all elements of our society, and fighting it depends on our abilities to unite as a community.”

The ill-advised trip has contributed to a spike in overall COVID-19 cases in Travis County the past couple of days, including the biggest single-day jump in positive diagnoses on Friday since Austin Public Health began compiling records earlier this month. The latest Austin Public Health data show a total of 430 patients, with revelation of a fourth fatality reported. The higher count represents an increase of 79 cases from the day before — the biggest single-day jump to date.

As a result of the students' ill-timed trip, Austin Mayor Steve Adler told media outlets this week the entire West Campus section of the city — a neighborhood in central Austin spanning the area west of Guadalupe Street to the expansive UT-Austin campus — is now considered a "hot spot" for local contagion.

University officials are urging all members of the UT-Austin community who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19 to be screened for testing. Students can call the UHS Nurse Advice Line at (512) 475-6877. Others can call UT Health Austin at (833) 882-2737; call their physician, who can register them to be tested with Austin Public Health; call CommUnityCare at (512) 978-8775; or access telehealth services (via Austin Public Health).

Members of the UT community can get answers to COVID-19 questions from a central webpage at https://coronavirus.utexas.edu/.