Rising on-campus infections sparking concern in Georgia
ATLANTA — With more than 3,000 public university students and employees across Georgia testing positive for COVID-19 since Aug. 1, some schools are taking action to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
Georgia Tech is encouraging students to convert to single rooms, moving out roommates over coming weeks to reduce exposure to the coronavirus. Both Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia announced they are renting more off-campus rooms to isolate or quarantine students who have been infected or exposed to the virus.
UGA reported 821 new infections for the week ended Saturday, a number that President Jere Morehead said Wednesday is “concerning.” He urged students to “continue to make every effort to prioritize their health and safety by taking the proper steps to avoid exposure to this virus.
Around 4% of all cases recorded in Georgia in the last month have been associated with university campuses, according to figures kept by The Associated Press. The number could be higher because some schools, including the state’s largest — Georgia State University — are not posting full reports publicly.
The rising campus infection numbers come as new cases
in the rest of Georgia decline. The total number of cases rose to near 275,000 Wednesday, according to state data, but the average number of cases has fallen below 2,000 a day.
That still represents a fast rate of spread — Georgia has recorded the seventh-highest number of new cases per capita in the last 14 days, but is slowly falling.
Newly recorded deaths statewide remain high, though, as the toll of an infection spike that peaked in July continues to be reckoned with. Total fatalities rose to 5,795 on Wednesday, and the state has recorded 946 deaths in the last 14 days, the largest sum on record, although death reports can be delayed for weeks.
Georgia Southern University and Georgia College & State University also continue to post high infection numbers. Each has confirmed more than 500 infections, meaning a larger share of their student body has been
infected than at either Tech or UGA. Georgia has seven counties that are in the top 50 nationwide for most cases per capita in the last 14 days. They include No. 24 Baldwin, which hosts Georgia College; No. 43 Lumpkin, which hosts the largest campus of the University of North Georgia; and No. 45 Bullock, which hosts the largest campus of Georgia Southern.
The Georgia Southern chapter of the American Association of University Professors released an open letter Wednesday asking for the university system to give Georgia Southern permission to move all classes online, citing the high infection rate in the Statesboro area.
“We ask the administration to take this action to demonstrate its stated commitment to prioritize the health and safety, not only of the university community, but also the broader Statesboro, Savannah, and Hinesville communities,” the professors wrote.