UNCSA Considers Shifting To Remote Only Classes As More Covid Cases Reported

University of North Carolina School of the Arts is considering moving all classes online as the campus deals with challenges from rising COVID cases.

The school is nearing capacity in housing and staffing necessary to support students in quarantine and isolation due to positive tests or exposures.

While the cases remain relatively low on campus, the average number of close contacts for each positive case has increased significantly since the fall semester.

As of Friday, UNCSA has nine active student cases of COVID-19. The average number of close contacts per positive case is seven to nine.

The university says if trends continue upward, it will temporarily move all in-person classes as well as performance and production activities online. The school has been providing hybrid instruction since the beginning of the fall semester.

UNCSA says some positive cases were caught through its reentry testing, which required all students, faculty, and staff to be tested before coming to campus after the extended winter break. But university officials say pandemic fatigue is also setting in, and that the recent cases are a sign that students aren't following school guidelines, particularly with social gatherings.

The university says random testing will continue for students on campus. Those who don't comply with the required testing program may be subject to probation.

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