Bars close down in college town as University of Alabama reports 500 COVID-19 cases
The University of Alabama released its first numbers for on-campus coronavirus testing on Monday, reporting more than 500 confirmed cases since students returned to classes Aug. 19.
A “cumulative” total of 566 cases among students, faculty and staff were reported across the university’s campus system, according to data reflected in a new COVID-19 dashboard. Alabama’s main campus in Tuscaloosa saw the bulk of positive cases, totaling 531 in all.
“Despite robust testing, training, health and safety measures we carefully and clearly implemented, there’s an unacceptable rise in positive COVID cases on our campus,” university President Stuart R. Bell said in a statement. “Make no mistake, this trend is a real threat to our ability to complete the semester on campus.”
The new dashboard includes data on positive tests on university campuses identified via “sentinel testing, point of care testing in campus health centers and self-reported tests from private providers,” according to the website. However, it excludes data on entry tests conducted when school resumed last week.
The university previously said that re-entry testing for students had returned a “less than 1% positivity rate,” according to AL.com. Dr. Ricky Friend, dean of the College of Community Health Sciences, said subsequent testing has revealed a growing number of positive cases, however.
“During that time, we encountered many students who have been exposed since returning to campus, particularly in the Greek system,” Friend told the Associated Press.
The numbers were reported hours after Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox ordered all bars to close for two weeks in hopes of slowing the spread of the virus. In addition, restaurants must suspend walk-up bar service and only allow alcohol sales to seated customers. The mayor issued the executive order on Monday afternoon, prohibiting the on-premise consumption of alcohol at local bars. Maddox said it was university officials who made the request.
“The truth is that fall in Tuscaloosa is in serious jeopardy,” he told reporters Monday, according to AP.
The executive order expires Sept. 8.
The COVID-19 dashboard shows that isolation space at the university is already 19.7% percent occupied, and campus officials said they expect that number to grow. About 16% percent of isolation space is also being used at the university’s Huntsville campus, data show.
“A question we all want to know is are we at the breaking point?” Bell said Monday, AL.com reported. “What’s the lever that’s going to cause us to have to change it. Basically, I think it goes back to flattening this curve, so we are able to accommodate our current operations and make sure we are able to keep the students healthy.”
Last week, the university imposed a two-week moratorium on all student gatherings, both on and off campus. Students who violate the new health and safety guidelines could face disciplinary action, university officials said.
This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 9:14 AM with the headline "Bars close down in college town as University of Alabama reports 500 COVID-19 cases."