UNC extends suspension of athletics, will begin COVID-19 testing at 3 residence halls
UNC football didn’t return to the practice field on Thursday and will extend its suspension of athletics through Friday, according to a university spokesperson.
On Wednesday, the school announced it was suspending all athletic activities until 5 p.m. Thursday due to an “upward trend in positive COVID-19 tests on campus.”
In a Thursday email to The News & Observer Gary Paczesny, director of creative services and athletic communications, said it will be at least one more day before they resume activities.
“We will again not be practicing tomorrow as we are extending the temporary suspension of all athletic related activities through tomorrow, Friday, August 21st,” Paczesny wrote. “We will continue to work with the University to evaluate the situation.”
On Monday, the school announced that all classes will move online for the rest of the fall semester.
This is the second time the Tar Heels have had to halt athletic activities due to COVID-19. UNC stopped voluntary football workouts this summer after 37 players, coaches and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus.
New COVID-19 clusters, testing and data
The university announced Thursday night that it would implement testing for the three residence halls that have been identified as sites of COVID-19 clusters: Ehringhaus, Hinton James and Granville Towers.
A cluster is defined as five or more cases in close proximity.
The university said more cases have been reported at the three residence halls but did not say how many. Close contacts are in quarantine, said Provost Bob Blouin and Amy Johnson, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, in an email.
Student testing will held Friday through Sunday. Employees at the three residence halls also will be tested in a separate process. Ehringhaus and Hinton James are two of UNC’s biggest dorms with Granville Towers a large off-campus residential facility.
“With an increasing rate of positive tests, it is necessary to conduct large group testing to help identify more cases and help prevent further spread,” they wrote.
According to UNC’s COVID-19 dashboard on Thursday, there were 91 new cases reported Wednesday. That brings the total number of positive cases at UNC Chapel-Hill to 528. Of those positive cases, 478 are students.
Starting Friday, the university will start updating the UNC case dashboard daily, Monday to Friday, and will identify the number of cases in clusters.
Also Thursday, UNC announced that undergraduate classes would not be held Monday and Tuesday to give students time to move, make the transition to remote-only classes and to “ catch their breath.” Classes will resume Wednesday.
Students also will have more time to drop classes so tuition can be pro-rated accordingly. The deadline was pushed from Aug. 21 to Aug. 31.
The campus-wide email came from Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Blouin.
“We know many of you anticipated some change to our plans this fall because of COVID-19, but this came very fast with a heartbreaking decision to transition when we really wanted to give our students a full Carolina experience,” they wrote.
“To our students, we recognize that the past two weeks have been a roller coaster for many of you, especially those who came to Chapel Hill only to experience a growing number of COVID cases on our campus. Those escalating numbers and the ensuing change of plans created turmoil, and as a result, you are now making significant changes to your daily lives and the plans you had for your semester.”
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 7:28 PM.
