Elon University has moved into Level 2 - High Alert after only three full days of spring classes.
The shift to High Alert encourages Elon students and faculty to limit activities and restrict personal social circles to a few individuals. The change in levels does not have any concrete impact on campus operations.
Recent COVID-19 campus testing found that many of the cases reported since Sunday were due to off-campus travel and social gatherings without masks, according to an email from Jeff Stein, the Chair of the Ready and Resilient Committee. The university also expects the Alamance County Health Department to identify cluster cases from Beta Theta Pi fraternity and Club Baseball.
Beta Theta Pi Vice President of Risk Management Ben Muse, who is Elon News Network’s analytics director, declined to comment on behalf of the organization. Club Baseball did not immediately respond to Elon News Network’s request for comment.
Elon reported 17 new cases on Wednesday, Feb. 10, and has now reported 66 cases in the past seven days. According to the Ready and Resilient committee, there are currently 230 students in isolation or quarantine.
The university will offer free COVID-19 testing to students on Saturday, Feb. 13 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in addition to the required weekly testing already in place.
"Every one of us must act to protect our community’s health and to avoid the rapid surge of cases we experience in the fall,” Stein wrote in an email to the university.