After a spike in COVID-19 cases during the first week of classes, the University of North Carolina will shift all undergraduate classes to remote learning, though student-athletes can remain on campus.
UNC started its fall semester of classes on August 10 – one week ago today. A press release from the school says that currently, 177 students are in isolation and 349 in quarantine after a “significant rise in positive COVID-19 tests” last week. The school’s coronavirus dashboard shows that the number of positive tests exploded from 10 the week before classes started to 130 last week.
An announcement today says that the school will shift to fully remote learning Wednesday and work to “greatly reduce residence hall occupancy.” But a few groups will be allowed to remain on campus: student-athletes, international students, and students without reliable internet access.
UNC’s move comes a week after Stanford announced it would start the year with a mostly virtual program of remote learning. It appears that Stanford student-athletes will also be able to remain on campus and train, even while school is conducted virtually.
The start of school years (both at the college and grade school/high school levels) has forced schools, conferences and athletic programs to make multiple difficult decisions on academic and athletic programs. UNC competes in the ACC, which is one of six top-level college athletics conferences still planning to compete in fall sports (dubbed “The Stubborn Six” by Sports Illustrated writer Pat Forde). It’s unclear if the move to remote learning will have any impact on UNC’s college football schedule this fall.
Are the scholarship athletes required to sign a code of conduct in regards to COVID safety? If they did and they deliberately break the rules and attend a Frat party, wouldn’t they jeopardize their scholarships? Although, after reading the clusterF*@k article it sounds like there are no COVID campus rules.
Meanwhile in the free world:
https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/longevity/512426-thousands-pack-water-park-in-wuhan-china-the-once?amp&__twitter_impression=true
And I believe everything I read. Certain nations would never spread disinformation for political purposes.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/china/video-2094890/Video-Dramatic-footage-shows-people-collapsing-suddenly-Wuhan-city.html
Second link related to first link.
The story is about the sheepish mentality in our nation.
The mental gymnastics to not consider we are making bad decisions is astounding to me.
How many asymptomatic? 90%. Let the fearmongering continue and sheepish behavior continue! It’s what’s best for our democracy I guess.
You do believe everything you read if it’s from your echo chamber.
I would happily pay your moving expenses to Wuhan if you truly believe that claim and that they have have more freedom.
Ah, the CCP. Bastion of freedom! Just ask the Uyghurs.
Wuhan has more freedom? Wow, bold statement Cotton.
Think that dude would pay for longhorn to go as well? That would be a hell of a two for one and the politics would align more with Sanders.
A wise coach once told me, “treat them like adults until they give us a reason not to.” I’m not sure if that was the case at UNC; however, with some of the pics and vids hitting from around the country, I’m wondering if we’ll see more and more Presidents, Chancellors and boards follow suit or pull the trigger sooner than many would expect. College students are going to be college students. That much we can all agree on.
Frontpage headline of The Daily Tarheel perfectly sums it up: “UNC has a clusterf*ck on its hands.” Only they didn’t substitute the asterisk.
The My Pillow guy has the cure 2.0. This will all be over soon.
There are plenty of therapies that keep driving down the death rate. Between steroids, ivermectin and yes HCQ, we continue to get a better handle on this virus with each passing month.
Minnesota just reversed the Hydroxychloroquine ban, so they are finally swallowing their pride. Kind of like Newsome finally having to admit that green power isn’t enough. Sometimes the wind doesn’t blow and the sun don’t shine.
No, they’re swallowing a QT-prolongation med. And at least if the wind doesn’t blow, it won’t be causing cancer, or so I’ve heard.
Hank – as someone from Minnesota, I should clarify. In March, Minnesota originally restricted prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine because the high demand for the drug as an unproven COVID treatment was threatening to cause shortages of the drug for people who use it to treat conditions it has actually been proven effective to treat: lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, among others.
The governor rescinded that order this month because, in his words, hydroxychloroquine medications “have not been proven to be effective treatments for COVID-19 and are no longer in high demand.” In other words, the state of Minnesota has listened to medical professionals enough to not be clamoring for a drug that isn’t proven to work on COVID at the expense of… Read more »
HCQ has been proven to work on COVID-19.
Actually there are physicians, scientists, epidemiologists and public health officials that both recommend it and are against it. It’s a not a unanimous stance when it comes to hydroxychloroquine and anyone on this thread can easily find that out with a little research.
It’s a good thing that “unanimous” has not and never will be the criteria for legitimate medical treatment.
The ability to graduate medical school and pass the board exams is not a guarantee of someone being a good doctor, nor a guarantee that they will practice good science, nor a guarantee that they will tell the truth.
The overwhelming evidence as presented by the scientific and medical community is that it does not work. A couple of nutjobs in Texas (‘demon sperm’) do not actually change the facts in the case.
It’s funny, because Republicans like their jokes about “Republicans use their heads, Democrats use their hearts,” but Republicans are so bloody adamant about this HCO myth. I don’t think… Read more »
Tell me about India swimapologist.
Tell me about the studies that faked that HCQ was dangerous to people.
This is about how science is bought and sold. HCQ is just one example of this. The next example will be the vaccine that bill Gates wants to deliver to 7 billion people (his words, not mine).
But keep thinking it’s just “Republicans”.
Seems there’s some evidence to suggest otherwise Jared:
https://www.lifenews.com/2020/08/03/study-shows-covid-19-patients-receiving-hydroxychloroquine-see-death-rates-cut-in-half/
https://www.henryford.com/news/2020/07/hydro-treatment-study
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2020/08/07/theres-a-mountain-of-evidence-that-hydroxychloroquine-is-an-effective-treatment-for-covid-19-n763953
Those weren’t randomized placebo controlled trials. People in those studies also received steroids. We know steroids do indeed drive down the death rates as a solo treatment based on other studies. So when you give HCQ and steroids — it’s the steroids that are responsible for the increased survival and NOT HCQ. When HCQ has been given as a solo treatment, there is no benefit.
Dr. Fauci talks about this directly. Stop listening to the nonsense your Republican senators push and instead listen to the qualified scientists.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xDjVwXM8ESE
One of our twins is UNC’24, not a student athlete. I don’t understand how they could announce this 45 minutes before tuition is due. We are paying OOS fees in full and as far as I understand, there is a very probable chance we will not be refunded. It’s not that I think opening up is a bad decision if proper guidelines are followed, but part of the problem comes from Greek life having parties every night, and that UNC did not collaborate with the health department prior to the reopening decision. Just my 2 cents
For now, we’ve made the difficult decision for the twin to come home as it would be safer. On the road to NC… Read more »
It was just stupid that the UNC president said going on-campus the day after the County health department said online only.
The student population is around 30k. If only 130 tested positive that’s less than 0.5%. I don’t get the hysteria.
Lol, someone doesn’t understand how the spread of viruses works.
How many of the 30k students were tested? And what is the criteria to determine who receives a test?
Seems it was targeted testing (symptomatic + anyone contact traced to those that were symptomatic).
This is pretty much par for the course for college plans (the testing that is, not the reaction).
A good number of them are bound to get it, not sure what all the hysteria is about? 15-24 year olds 573 total cumulative deaths in the US seems low risk?
Haha, baiting that hook and gone fishing 🙂
Facts don’t matter CA lawyer. Only hysteria matters in the comment section.
Hysteria, or common sense? Hysteria about the economy needing to be reopened and I’m ‘Murican so I don’t have to wear a damn mask or social distance drove the premature opening. What about THAT hysteria?
It’s not just the deaths; it’s also long term negative health effects and some studies showing heart and lung damage among people who had through to be asymptomatic are troubling enough that caution is warranted until further studies are done in that area.
How do we know what the long term health effects are for a virus that has only been around for a short time?
I think it’s completely valid for you to bring up the death rates related to COVID, but it’s important to recognize that while most 15-24 year olds won’t die if they get COVID-19, the long term health impacts can be detrimental.
“The list of lingering maladies from COVID-19 is longer and more varied than most doctors could have imagined. Ongoing problems include fatigue, a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, achy joints, foggy thinking, a persistent loss of sense of smell, and damage to the heart, lungs, kidneys, and brain.” -ScienceMag
It’s not just the number of deaths that’s problematic—it’s that this particular strain of coronavirus affects many human bodies in malicious ways even if the host doesn’t die.
Would just like to add there have also been questions and studies concerning fertility after having this virus. I believe mostly around men.
So…when all these tough guys potentially have trouble conceiving in the future…I guess it’s just Mother Nature doing us all a favor.
This is a very important story in today’s WSJ.
———————————
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is trying to save the Big Ten conference’s football season. But he’s ignited a movement that might just save the whole academic year for students nationwide. The debate over football could force universities to acknowledge the huge costs and uncertain benefits of restricting educational opportunities in the name of public health.
Last week the Big Ten announced a “postponement” of its fall sports season “due to ongoing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.” The conference’s announcement carried no guarantee that the “postponed” games will ever be played.
On Sunday Mr. Fields created an online petition in response. In less than two… Read more »
The expansion of the “safe space”