By Lucas Manfredi via Fox News
City of Tuscaloosa closed bars for two weeks and suspended bar service at restaurants after the spike in cases at the university.
More than 1,000 students at the University of Alabama’s Tuscaloosa campus have tested positive for COVID-19 since in-person classes resumed, according to the latest update to the college’s live dashboard.
On Friday, the university reported 492 new cases linked to students across its three campuses between Aug. 25 and 27. While the Tuscaloosa campus makes up the bulk of the cases (481), there are nine student cases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and one student case at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. The university said that no students have been hospitalized as of Friday.
“We have the most robust testing regimen of any entity in the state, giving us a clear picture of virus spread and informing our decisions. Fortunately, our isolation occupancy is below capacity, and the number will be adjusted as students complete the isolation period,” University of Alabama System Chancellor Finis St. John said in a statement. “We are closely monitoring our data daily, and we will continue to adjust operations as the situation warrants.”
Dr. Ricky Friend, the dean of the College of Community Health Sciences, noted that there was “no evidence of virus transmission due to in-person class instruction.”
“We remain satisfied that the precautions implemented prior to the resumption of classes – including masking, distancing, and a blend of in-person and remote instruction – are appropriate and effective,” Friend added.
The city of Tuscaloosa closed bars for two weeks and suspended bar service at restaurants after the spike in cases at the university.
“We remain concerned that off-campus transmission is our greatest risk, which is why we asked Mayor Maddox to consider that action,” St. John added. “We thank him for making that difficult decision to protect our campus community and Tuscaloosa.” Read more from Fox News
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