A University of Virginia residence hall was locked down Wednesday after officials identified five coronavirus cases among the 188 students living there.That evening, the university tested each student in the Balz-Dobie dorm and asked “them to remain in their rooms, except when using the restroom or retrieving meals, until their test results are received,” the university tweeted.
Related Articles:
- What we know about UVA’s threshold for shutting down
- UVA scrambles to create 1,500 quarantine beds as insufficient space forces other universities to close
- ‘They were really ready to put the blame on the students’: UVA students react to dean’s COVID video message
UVA’s COVID-19 test results have taken an average of 25 hours to process in the last week, according to the university’s COVID Tracker website.Students in the dorm who test positive will be moved to isolation rooms, while students identified as having “close contact” with positive cases will be moved into quarantine rooms. Close contact is generally considered spending at least 15 minutes within 6 feet of someone with the virus.As of Tuesday, UVA had reported 330 cases of coronavirus among students and had filled 11% of their quarantine space. In-person classes began Sept. 8.At the start of fall classes, the university had set aside about 1,500 quarantine rooms.“University leaders and public health experts have spent months planning for a return of students and a potential increase in cases,” the university tweeted. “We continue to expand our testing capacity, add quarantine and isolation rooms as necessary, and monitor our overall capacity to respond to cases and limit the spread of the virus.” The five Balz-Dobie cases were identified through “wastewater and individual testing programs,” the university said. Read more about this developing story: UVA quarantines its first residence hall as COVID cases climb
