Northeastern University easing restrictions
While city warns of tightening the screws
Northeastern University announced Friday it was easing coronavirus restrictions on campus — just one day after Mayor Martin Walsh pledged to ramp up enforcement across Boston.
The university said it would loosen restrictions on its Boston campus after reporting a seven-day average positive test rate of 0.05% out of more than 250,000 COVID-19 tests.
“From wearing masks to practicing healthy distancing to following the testing requirements, our Northeastern community has shown a daily commitment to safety, health, and care for each other,” university officials wrote on the school’s website Friday.
Northeastern is now allowing students living on campus to have one guest per unit in their residence halls and is expanding opening hours for lounges and restricted common areas in university housing.
Indoor dining is resuming at five facilities — which will shut down in between meal times for cleaning.
Student groups will now be able to reserve space for in-person meetings, as long as they follow guidelines including mask wearing and distancing. Groups can also resume in-person meetings at tables in outdoor spaces.
“As with any adjustment to our protocols, we will constantly monitor conditions on and off campus to make sure these changes don’t compromise community health and safety,” university officials wrote. “We ask everyone to continue practicing the simple, daily actions that make these changes possible — practicing healthy distancing, wearing a mask, washing your hands often, and undergoing regular COVID-19 testing.”
Northeastern’s announcement follows Walsh’s comments Thursday that Boston will “strengthen enforcement of COVID restrictions” with cases on the rise, particularly among those under 30.
Northeastern — which booted 11 first-year students in September for breaking coronavirus rules — has reported fewer than eight positive tests a day since hitting that peak on Sept. 8, according to the university’s online testing dashboard. The university reported three positive tests on Wednesday, the last day for which data was available. Out of 128 total positive tests, 111 were among students, 11 were among faculty and staff, and six were contract employees.
Statewide, higher education institutions have reported 1,177 coronavirus cases, with 119 in the past week, according to weekly data from the Department of Public Health.