By Camille Furst, Len La Rocca and Lara Becker
Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editors
Fifty-one students have tested positive for Covid-19 with all but five living in off-campus housing, according to Rafia Siddiq, the contact tracing coordinator for the College.
“It has been speculated that these cases are linked to off-campus parties,” Siddiq said. “While that is possible, it has not been something we have been able to establish definitively.”
The news came in the afternoon on Sept. 10, just eight days after the College reported its first positive cases among students living in the Ewing area. Meanwhile, Siddiq said, none of the cases are from the 80 students who are living in on-campus housing.
Other colleges and universities in New Jersey, some of which opened their campuses for in-person instruction this fall, have also seen a rise in cases, according to NJ.com.
As of Thursday, Sept. 10, Rowan University, which is conducting a “HyFlex” model that includes both in-person and remote instruction, has seen 118 confirmed positive cases since Aug. 25. Rutgers University, which is conducting mostly remote instruction for the fall as well, has reported 101 positive cases. Seton Hall University, which is following a hybrid form of instruction that includes both in-person and online classes, has seen only three cases since the beginning of its fall semester.
This now brings the College to some of the higher numbers in cases among New Jersey higher education institutions, regardless of whether or not the institution is conducting online or in-person instruction.
This is a breaking story, and will continue to be updated as more information is released and verified.
