A recent study by USA Today found that of the 25 largest outbreaks in the U.S., college towns make up 19 of them. Despite many of these campuses switching to remote, creating strict quarantine guidelines and eliminating an social gatherings on campus, it’s believed the heavy presence of college students going to restaurants, bars, gyms, and more can be a leading cause of this spread.
Whether you’re attending one of these universities or your own college town has been impacted by the virus, commonality and tips can be shared to help us all get through this together. To help, here are the top five college towns hit by Covid-19 and their universities’ responses.
1. Harrisonburg, Virginia, James Madison University
The highest on the list, James Madison University held a rate of 1,562 positive cases per 100,000. The university made attempts to act quickly to reduce student contact, including no in-person class, JMU is working on a plan to get students back in class by October 5.
This plan includes launching a mandatory surveillance testing program, which will test 300 non-symptomatic students per week, as well as increase quarantine and isolation space, a classroom cap of 50 people, changes to dining facilities, the cancellation of fall break, and offering all courses and exams online for the semester following Thanksgiving break to avoid student travel.
2. Whitman County, Washington, Washington State University
Second on the list with 1,295 cases per 100,000, Washington State University’s plan for fall 2020 seeks to keep its student body safe by requiring all undergraduate classes to be done remotely with “extremely limited exceptions” for in person instructions.
WSU also ensures its students and neighbors that it continues to work with state and local authorities as plans are made to reopen. The university also is working with the National Guard to offer testing for potential cases.
3. Coryell County, Texas, Central Texas College
With 1,246 cases per 100,000, Central Texas College is currently in phase four of its reopening plan. This phase focuses on implementing synchronous virtual, blended and online courses. This phase also includes an increase of onsite student support services by appointment.
CTC also seeks to focus on a sense of personal responsibility, providing guidance on healthy and safety protocols, including daily self-assessments, self reporting forms, preventive personal safety practices, and cleaning protocols.
4. Bulloch County, Georgia, Georgia Southern University
Number four on the list, this areas has 1,222 cases per 100,000. Georgia Southern University provides near daily university messages on its current covid response page, including designations for faculty, staff, students or a mixture of the three. Seeing the Covid-19 situation as very fluid, the university is balancing adhering to direction from the CDC and the Georgia Department of Public Healthwith keeping its students and faculty active and engaged.
Georgie Southern University also offers a General FAQ page, with perhaps one of the most exhaustive list of FAQs among the top college town universities, wanting to best equip its students, staff, and even the public with information.
5. Story County, Iowa, Iowa State University
For the fifth area, Story County Iowa was reported to have 1,172 cases per 100,000. Like many on this list, Iowa State University provides regular updates and resources. For instance, as of writing this article, a Sept. 21 update shows the positive test results have dipped down to 4.60% from 7.81% from the previous week.
This page also includes information for students, staff, and families as well an easy-to-navigate topical index, including links to Test Iowa, policies on their face coverings, and more.
A common theme among many of these universities include the reduction of social interactions, and sometimes the entire shutdown of the campus for the time being. If you’re among the many students either currently displaced or perhaps confined into a smaller living quarters with too much stuff, we’d like to help. Click here to learn more about using self storage in college.
