The US colleges are becoming new epicenters of coronavirus according to the World Health Organization which indicated that young people have now become the primary spreaders of the virus.
In the last few weeks, colleges and universities across the universities have started reopening for in-person learning. However, worry about the spread of coronavirus is still raw and these colleges have taken precautions to ensure that they do not become the new epicenters of coronavirus. This means that universities have implemented new guidelines meant for addressing students’ behavior that may compromise their ability to fight the spread of coronavirus.
Prohibition of large gatherings, self-quarantine for students returning from coronavirus hotspots for two weeks and regular testing are some of the measures these universities have taken to avoid the spread of the virus. However, the past few weeks have proven that many of these measures have not been effective in ensuring that the spread of the virus is contained.
The new epicenters of coronavirus
Takeshi Kasai, WHO’s Western Pacific regional director indicated that the pandemic was changing and in the past few weeks, the spread of the virus has been driven by people who are in their 20s, 30s and 40s. This announcement came as students started moving into colleges across the country, with a third of the over 5,000 colleges and universities across the US indicating that they were attempting to house students on campus despite failure and inability to control the students’ behavior.
At Syracuse University, a group of first-year students gathered in a quad, ignoring schools directive against such gatherings showing just how difficult it was in trying to control the students’ behaviors. This lead to the school’s J. Michael Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives, J. Michael Haynie, writing an open letter to students asking them to take responsibility for their actions.
He indicated that the whole world was looking at the university, with the expectations that they would fail. He told the schools that they had only one shot to make a good impression and ensure that they are able to control the spread of the virus, warning that failure to do so will jeopardize their entire academic year and may lead to another school closure of the university.
The situation at Syracuse University has become too common across the US, with multiple universities reporting students not following their school reopening guidelines. This has led to the suspension of students in universities such as Purdue University which suspended 36 students and Drake University. Such decisions are needed across the country to ensure that colleges and universities do not become the new epicenters for coronavirus.
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