LYNCHBURG, Va. (WFXR) — Despite spending 12 days on campus-wide quarantine, Liberty University’s COVID-19 case count has surpassed 1,200 since school started in late August. However, the university says the number of active cases and quarantines among students and staff has been cut by at least half in the last week.
The university’s coronavirus dashboard says that 1,056 students and 166 faculty and staff have tested positive for the virus, reaching a total of 1,222 cases between Monday Aug. 23 — the day that Liberty University’s classes started — and Tuesday, Sept. 14.
According to the latest dashboard update from Wednesday, Sept. 15, there are 175 active coronavirus cases at the university that were reported within the previous 10 days where the quarantine period has not ended. Of those active cases, 142 are students while 33 are faculty and staff.
This is a significant decline from the 463 active cases reported by the university on Wednesday, Sept 8.
However, the dashboard says the running total of positive cases over the past 10 days has grown from 18 on Sunday, Sept. 5 to 320 on Tuesday, Sept. 14.
Meanwhile, between Sept. 8 and Sept. 15, the number of people instructed to quarantine has shrunk from 1,834 to 920. More specifically, the university says 576 on-campus students are in quarantine while 257 commuters and 87 employees have been instructed to quarantine.
This news comes after Liberty University implemented mitigation protocols — such as virtual learning and no large indoor gatherings — from Monday, Aug. 30 through Friday, Sept. 10 in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus and maintain a safe and health campus environment.
On Friday, Liberty University officials announced they would end the temporary mitigation period and prioritize “both health and freedom” by keeping some health and safety policies in place until further notice. The highlights of those policies are listed below:
- All classes will resume in-person instruction on Monday, Sept. 13 with a digital instruction component.
- Masks and physical distancing are strongly encouraged — especially where signage is posted and when visiting local churches and businesses — but not required.
- Indoor sports, events, and activities will be limited to 50 percent space capacity.
- Convocation and Campus Community will take place in Williams Stadium until further notice.
- Digital attendance options are provided wherever possible when attendance is mandatory.
- Vaccinations are encouraged, so clinics will be available for students, faculty, and staff.
For more information about the pandemic protocols in place at Liberty University, click here.
