August 19, the University of Alabama (UA) opened its doors to students for the fall semester. Since the opening, 1,063 students have tested positive for the novel coronavirus — 492 of those new cases are just from two days.
These numbers are from all three of the school’s campuses. According to People, 481 of the cases were from the main campus in Tuscaloosa, nine from the Birmingham campus, and two from the Hunstville campus. Also, 51 faculty and staff from across all three campuses have tested positive.
Unlike school officials across the country, Alabama President, Stuart Bell, does not blame the spread on the students or their behavior.
“Our challenge is not the students,” Bell said. “Our challenge is the visual and there’s a difference, folks. What we have to do is identify where does the virus thrive and where does the virus spread and how can we work together with our students, with our faculty, and with our staff to make sure that we minimize those places, those incidents.”
Apparently, the virus spread is also unrelated to the fact that they’re holding “in-person” classes. Dr. Rick Friend, dean of the College of Community Health and Sciences said, “there is no evidence” to support this claim and “We remain satisfied that the precious implemented before the resumption of classes are appropriate and effective.”
To combat the spread, UA does have a designated isolation space. While it is currently below capacity, “the number will adjust as students complete the isolation period.”
To date, no students have been hospitalized due to the virus.
