BYU COVID-19 cases at 80 after first week back on campus

Confirmed COVID cases at BYU surged during the first week of Fall Semester, but it’s unclear how this will impact the university’s plan for an in-person semester.

BYU has reported 80 new coronavirus cases, but the university said in a statement there is not a specific case number but “a variety of factors” that would cause classes to go online, including local hospital capacity, BYU’s capacity to isolate or quarantine students living on-campus, and cases on and off campus (Utah County reported 366 new cases from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3).

According to the statement, many of BYU’s cases have been tied to gatherings on and off campus. BYU also encouraged students to follow all safety requirements during Labor Day weekend; however, that didn’t stop at least one large off-campus party from taking place in Provo.

Twenty-four students in Helamen Halls have also been asked to quarantine after they were exposed to the virus at a gathering where physical distancing wasn’t maintained. “We’ll continue to ask students to quarantine if they attend gatherings where they may have been exposed,” the statement reads.

BYU also condemned “any kind of shaming or bullying surrounding compliance or non-compliance” but instructed students to compassionately encourage their friends and roommates to follow safety requirements, including Provo’s mask mandate.