Notre Dame closing campus for 2 weeks, moving to remote learning amid COVID-19 outbreak
By Adam Spencer
Published:
We’ve seen clusters of COVID-19 pop up at North Carolina as students return to campus. Now, Notre Dame has had a spike in cases, as well.
On Monday alone, 80 news cases of COVID-19 were reported, according to Kate Smith of CBS News:
https://twitter.com/byKateSmith/status/1295820088084508672
Now, the school is taking action. President Rev. John Jenkins announced on Tuesday that the campus would close and students would shift to online learning for the next 2 weeks. If those measures don’t work, students will be sent home:
Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins says the administration considered closing the University for the remainder of the semester.
Instead, the campus will close for the next two weeks with remote learning. If these steps are not successful, students will be sent home.
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) August 18, 2020
In order to help trace potential contacts students who have tested positive have made with others, Jenkins said no discipline will be handed down to students who come forward for contact tracing:
Jenkins add Notre Dame will not expel or discipline students engaged in off-campus parties or gatherings, to encourage students to come forward for contact tracing.
However, Jenkins adds if the university learns of violations through other means, discipline could occur.
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) August 18, 2020
How sending students home would affect the football program remains to be seen. As of Tuesday, no new cases of COVID had been reported in the athletics department, and athletes were still allowed to practice:
Varsity athletic teams that are subject to routine surveillance testing may continue to gather for sanctioned activities according to established protocols and will be closely monitored.https://t.co/gKsvmjCqD6
— University of Notre Dame (@NotreDame) August 18, 2020
These next 2 weeks could be very important for the future of Notre Dame football in 2020.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
