UConn reports 12 new virus cases

The University of Connecticut placed the residents of the Willard C. Eddy residence hall into quarantine Saturday, as it reported 12 new oncampus cases, including three within the dormitory. In the school’s daily update on the pandemic, UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said that the school had 51 positive or suspected cases on campus, including 12 that were reported since Friday. She said three of the new cases are in the Eddy residence hall, a standalone building in the Alumni Residence Hall Complex where 96 people reside. In total, four cases have appeared there in the past week, Ellyssa Eror, medical director at UConn, said in a letter to students there. “This rate is disproportionate to the positive cases we have seen among other residential locations and cause for concern,” Eror said in the letter. “We ask for your support in this important medical decision that is essential for us to effectively control spread of this virus. The university is committed to doing all that we can as we adjust to this status for Eddy Hall.” Students in the hall will be tested twice each week until the university gets a handle on the trend, Eror said. The quarantine will continue until “a clear decrease in transmission can be documented through this testing effort,” she said. In the meantime, students are barred from attending classes or having guests, she said. Reitz said 147 confirmed cases had occurred on campus this semester. A total of 57 cases had been found among off- campus students, including eight Friday. Three of the eight were reported in The Oaks on the Square apartments, which were previously placed into quarantine earlier this month. The current on- campus positive rate among students is 1.02 percent, Reitz said. As of Sept. 11, that figure was at 0.72 percent.