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COVID-19 cases prompt testing of all students in 3 UNC Charlotte dorms

UNC Charlotte students arrive on campus before the start of fall classes. The university is testing all students in three dorms for COVID-19.
UNC Charlotte students arrive on campus before the start of fall classes. The university is testing all students in three dorms for COVID-19. UNC Charlotte

UNC Charlotte is testing all students in three dorms for the coronavirus after confirmed cases in the residence halls, campus officials said Friday.

The university cited student privacy in not identifying the dorms.

Campus officials said they are “proactively” testing all of the residents to help curb the spread of the virus.

The university has 30 active COVID-19 cases, according to UNCC’s COVID-19 Dashboard.

No COVID-19 clusters have been found in the residence halls, according to the university. State health officials define a cluster as five or more confirmed cases within two weeks.

Students in the dorms have been told that, “per established protocols,” they must stay in their buildings until they are tested, the university posted on its website. Meals will be delivered to them, according to the post.

“Those testing positive or identified as a close contact of anyone who tests positive will be placed in quarantine/isolation,” per protocols, according to the statement.

On Tuesday, the school’s athletics department said all practices and in-person meetings of the Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team have been suspended after a cluster of seven COVID-19 cases among players and staff.

According to a release by UNCC, the positive tests were found through self-reporting of symptoms and testing required by Conference USA, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

On Oct. 2, the university reported finding the virus that causes COVID-19 in the wastewater from a residence hall during routine sampling.

No one living in the dorm had reported COVID-19 symptoms, according to the school.

This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 4:15 PM.

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Joe Marusak
The Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
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