UNW President Allen Cureton shared his concern over the rise in COVID cases this Friday in an address to students and faculty. UNW has seen a rapid rise in cases following fall break, mainly due to students becoming more relaxed with COVID precautions.
Cureton expressed his concern, saying that because of this increase, “We may need to advance to Phase 3 (Orange) of our resurgence plan, which could mean moving more classes to a virtual setting.” This transition from yellow to orange would mean more online classes and activities, restricted access to resident halls and cancellation of extracurricular activities.
As of November 9, Northwestern is still in Phase 2 (Yellow). Northwestern’s COVID-19 dashboard shows 11 students have tested positive for COVID-19. 20 students are in isolation and experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. 102 students are quarantining after being exposed to COVID-19. These numbers include current students in quarantine or isolation both on and off campus.
In order to prevent the spread, Dr. Cureton recommended that students be more mindful of what they do in their free time. Students should limit their trips off campus and stay socially distant. They should also be mindful of their safety when interacting with other students.
Cureton ended his message with an encouragement to students to do these things so that we can finish the year strong.
