Liberty University announces campus-wide quarantine amid rising COVID-19 cases
Liberty University is shutting down to keep COVID-19 cases from going up.
The Lynchburg, Va., private college said Friday that it will go into a “temporary mitigation period” from Monday to Sept. 10 “so we can take some responsible steps designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.”
All classes will move online and large indoor gatherings have been canceled.
Students will still have free roam of the campus, including dining facilities, except for those with new positive cases and those who had direct exposure to positive cases.
“All others are free to move about and enjoy our beautiful campus as usual,” the school said in a statement. “We pray that you use this freedom responsibly, especially when in confined indoor spaces.”
School officials also encouraged students to mask indoors, eat outside, rather than in dining halls, and continue social distancing.
“These decisions are not taken lightly, and we have sought the Lord’s wisdom. The campus infection rate is higher than at any time last year, our only local hospital is reaching capacity for ICU COVID treatment, and we project our Annex quarantine capacity to be reached soon,” the school said.
“At Liberty, our faith is fueling all these decisions. We were made to be in community, and as our leaders plan for as normal an experience as possible during this temporary period, we are balancing our students’ needs and being conscious of the concerns surrounding a pandemic.”
As of Wednesday, the last time the Liberty University COVID-19 dashboard was updated, there were 159 active cases on campus, split between 124 students and 35 faculty and staff members.
At least 274 on-campus students are in quarantine, as well as 111 commuters and 107 employees.
