Chapel Hill, N.C. – North Carolina athletics announced the decision to suspend activities for one day in response to doubled positive test results on campus.
Just one week into the start of the new school year, North Carolina proved the inevitable: college kids are extremely difficult to monitor during a pandemic. Sadly, the university has not been able to prevent parties, enforce masks or anything remotely up to North Carolina mandates and as a result, the school will be virtual.
North Carolina’s statement:
Because of a continued upward trend in positive Covid-19 tests on campus, Carolina Athletics will immediately suspend athletic activities for all sports teams until at least 5 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, August 20). Campus recreation facilities also will be closed.
“After consulting with our health experts and University leadership, we are taking this action to protect our students, coaches and staff,” said Carolina Director of Athletics . “We want to make sure we continue to do everything we can to ensure that that our teams, campus and community remain healthy.”
Student-athletes will continue to have access to academic support, student-athlete development, medical care and nutrition. All students, coaches and staff will continue to be expected to follow Carolina’s Community Standards.
Monday, the University announced that all undergraduate classes would shift to remote learning and asked that students residing in on-campus residence halls move home. International students, student-athletes, ROTC students, and students with hardships are allowed to stay on campus, if they choose. Dining halls and libraries will remain open with limited capacity.
Hopefully during this time, North Carolina will reset the school for remain students and faculty on campus. Safety has to be the number one priority for the university with national attention watching for them to somehow correct the decision to allow students back on campus.
Carolina has now become the experiment and leading example for what other universities should and shouldn’t do in response to the pandemic concerning allowing students and faculty on campus.
