Five people have tested positive for the coronavirus as Virginia Tech prepares for the fall semester.
Some 3,663 people were tested between Aug. 9 and Aug. 16, and “we have one true positive and four positives from students who had previously confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection,” university President Tim Sands said in a statement.
Classes begin Aug. 24 and will be a mix of in-person and online learning.
Sands said a campus COVID-19 dashboard will be released this week. It will be updated on a weekly basis.
Despite the positive tests, Sands believes that “aggressive and rapid testing, effective contact tracing, and sufficient capacity for quarantine and isolation are effective and essential.”
However, he highlighted the risk of off-campus social gatherings without practicing safety guidelines, such as wearing masks, social distancing and ensuring adequate ventilation.
For those who may wish to take a break — perhaps by hosting or attending a party with individuals not in your “pod” — “please don’t,” Sands said.
The university has partnered with the Town of Blacksburg to make sure that those who hold or attend gatherings where safety guidelines are not observed will be held accountable.
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