Bradley University is calling for all of its students to quarantine in their homes in and around campus for two full weeks as it seeks to assess and control the spread of COVID-19 on campus, according to The Hill.
Bradley president Steve Standifird announced the quarantine in a video to students, setting an end date for 7 a.m. Sept. 23. Below is an excerpt from the statement:
“Although it may seem extreme, this move to temporary remote learning and a two-week, all-student quarantine allows us to focus on the continuity of the educational experience for all of our students while giving us time to gather data on the full extent of the spread of the virus and assess the best way to proceed as a community.”
“This two-week quarantine creates an opportunity for us to reset our behaviors so we can have a successful semester. I still think it’s possible for us to do so. We would not engage in the two-week quarantine if I did not believe it was possible for us to complete the semester on campus successfully, but this only happens if we collectively change our behaviors moving forward.”
The university is asking students to quarantine in their campus homes and participate in remote learning, but urging them not to return to their hometowns out of fear of spreading the virus more widely.
According to CBS News, the university has detected 50 cases of the novel coronavirus on campus. Standifird hopes that by taking extreme measures against the spread of the virus, they’ll be able to resume in-person classes later in the semester. That is not a guarantee, however, Standifird said.
“We would not engage in the two-week quarantine if I did not believe it was possible for us to complete the semester on campus successfully, but this only happens if we collectively change our behaviors moving forward,” he told WMBD-TV.
Most of the cases detected on campus were asymptomatic.
“The risk of new cases increases each time you leave and return to campus,” Standifird said. “It also complicates our tracing and testing greatly. We’re asking you to remain on campus instead of returning to your permanent residence. If you do return home, you must continue to quarantine and should not return back to campus until Sept. 22 or later.”
