GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Calvin University has directed all students, faculty and staff to stay in place for the next two weeks following an “alarmingly rapid increase” in positive coronavirus cases reported over the past week.
The university issued a 14-day “enhanced physical distancing” directive that began at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, according to an email sent to students and staff Monday night. All students, staff and faculty at Calvin are expected to avoid gatherings and remain in their place of residence, with exceptions for school and work.
The directive will expire Feb. 23 but could be extended depending on the campus positivity rate at that time, said Calvin President Michael Le Roy.
The president said there has been an “extraordinary uptick and spread” of COVID-19 among Calvin students in the past few days, attributed by Le Roy to some students ignoring social distancing guidelines.
As of Monday night, there were 41 active cases at Calvin University, up from only five active cases reported a week before on Feb. 1, according to the university’s data dashboard.
There are 35 active cases among on-campus students, four cases for off-campus students and two employee cases, data shows. There are 119 students in quarantine after being identified as close contacts of a positive case.
University leaders attribute the recent rise in cases to some students becoming less diligent about health and safety protocols, as well as delays in reporting COVID symptoms.
“We have seen evidence of elevated numbers of close contacts because of social gatherings, failure to remain six feet apart, and disregard for occupancy limits in common spaces,” said Sarah Visser, co-chair of Calvin’s COVID Response Team.
“While it is understandable that folks are getting weary of the current situation, it is when we get lax that the virus gets even more dangerous.”
Students are allowed to attend classes in-person during the 14-day period, but Le Roy said professors will let students know whether their classes will be conducted face-to-face or remotely for the next two weeks.
Gatherings both on- and off-campus are prohibited under the directive. There are some exceptions under the order when students are allowed to leave their residence, including:
- Attending an in-person class
- Picking up meals from a dining hall
- Using on-campus internet or study spaces
- Conducting research or employment that must be performed in person
- Participating in COVID-19 screening or diagnostic testing
- Receiving medical care
On-campus dining halls will only be open for takeout orders, and students must eat meals in their rooms. All public seating areas on campus will be closed, according to the email to students.
Some athletic team activities have been suspended due to the number of positive cases and close contacts on those teams, Le Roy said.
Athletic activities are currently being evaluated on a team-by-team basis, and all intramural sports will be paused for the next 14 days.
Students who fail to comply with the stay-home order could be subject to disciplinary action, Le Roy said.
“We must reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community in order to persist in living and learning on campus together this semester,” he wrote in the email.
There has been a total of 379 positive COVID-19 cases at Calvin since Aug. 1, according to the data dashboard.
Calvin issued the stay-in-place order independently from the Kent County Health Department, although university officials have notified the health department of the two-week directive, Visser said.
A similar stay-home order was recently issued by the Washtenaw County Health Department at the University of Michigan, which expired on Feb. 7. The recommendation was directed at UM undergraduate, graduate and professional students enrolled this winter and residing on or off campus in Washtenaw County.
Washtenaw County health officials cited a significant rise in younger residents as the reason for the order, as well as a number of identified cases at UM of the COVID-19 B.1.1.7 variant.
Grand Valley State University also issued a similar stay-home order during the fall semester as a result in rising cases at the time.
The emergency 14-day stay home order began Sept. 17 and ended Oct. 1, but it was extended for another two weeks with less restrictive guidelines so health officials could continue to monitor spread of the virus among students.
More on MLive:
University of Michigan graduate, professional students to get weekly COVID-19 testing
Zero COVID-19 cases on Adrian College campus, officials say
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February 10, 2021 at 01:04AM
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