Georgia Tech reports 51 new coronavirus cases. Frat house ordered to lockdown
Georgia Institute of Technology officials reported 51 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, one day after a campus fraternity house was ordered closed after more than a dozen members tested positive for the virus.
University leaders said affected students will either return home or self-isolate in designated housing on campus.
“All affected individuals are being notified as consistent with Georgia Department of Public Health,” according to the college’s coronavirus daily status report.
The new reported cases bring Georgia Tech’s updated total to 302 cases among students and staff since March, data show. News of the additional cases also come one day after the university reported a cluster of COVID-19 cases in Greek Life housing. Of the 33 cases reported on campus Saturday, 17 were members of the same fraternity house, WSB-TV reported.
“In addition to the cluster of Greek housing residents who live in the same Greek residence near campus reported via a campus communication yesterday, 17 more members of the organization tested positive today,” university officials said in an Aug. 22 update. “All residents of the house have been tested and Georgia Tech is turning the house into an isolation location; residents who haven’t tested positive will relocate elsewhere to quarantine until they can return safely to normal activities.”
Georgia Tech did not name the fraternity, but leadership with Sigma Phi Epsilon confirmed the outbreak was at their house. It’s unclear if the new cases announced Sunday include members of the fraternity.
A frat member who spoke on the condition of anonymity told 11 Alive News that at least 26 members of the organization have tested positive for COVID-19.
“You don’t like being in the news but,” he told the news station. “At the same time, had we not reported the things that we reported, we probably wouldn’t have identified upwards of 18 to 20 of our cases.”
After learning of its first positive case on Aug. 18, the member said the fraternity took extra precautions by limiting visitors and fining those who weren’t supposed to be at the house $25, according to 11 Alive.
“At this point, we do believe we have everybody isolated to the house,” the student added. “We’ve only allowed people to quarantine in their apartment buildings if they have their own bedroom and their own bathroom.”
Thousands of Georgia Tech students returned to classes Aug. 17. However, nearly 1,000 courses this semester are being taught remotely, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Others will be offered via a hybrid model combining online learning and in-person instruction, the university said.
On Aug. 17, some students held a “die in” protest opposing the university’s reopening plan, WSB-TV reported.
This story was originally published August 24, 2020 at 11:27 AM with the headline "Georgia Tech reports 51 new coronavirus cases. Frat house ordered to lockdown."