According to The New York Times, which collects data on COVID infections on college campuses across the U.S., cases are particularly high in a handful of states. The worst-hit places include Texas (6,106 cases at 63 schools), Alabama (4,093 cases at 17 schools), North Carolina (4,029 cases at 40 schools), and Georgia (3,692 cases at 28 schools). Even with socially distanced outdoor classes and decreased capacity in dorms, students are still congregating at large gatherings—including one recent frat party at the University of New Hampshire with over 100 guests that created a cluster of cases in the state.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Smaller college towns in particular find themselves both at a higher risk of having their medical systems overwhelmed by localized coronavirus outbreaks and unable to control the behaviors of recently returned students. “The university does not govern what happens off-campus,” Juan Marquez, medical director in Ann Arbor’s Washtenaw County (home of the University of Michigan), told The Verge. “They can only do so much.” RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. The confirmation of coast-to-coast infection comes after weeks of highly publicized incidents and outbreaks that have forced colleges to reckon with the reality of reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic. Many schools, such as the University of Wyoming, have continued to push back the return date for students. Others, such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, decided to cancel all in-person classes for the semester after an outbreak developed just after students returned. But some experts argue that the solution may not be as simple as pulling the plug on the academic year. Anthony Fauci, MD, recently said that sending college kids home from an infected campus could have dangerous consequences. “It’s the worst thing you could do,” he said during a Sept. 2 interview with Today. “When you send them home, particularly when you’re dealing with a university where people come from multiple different locations, you could be seeding the different places with infection.” And for more on what’s risky during the pandemic, check out 24 Things You’re Doing Every Day That Put You at COVID Risk.
