PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley University students will be quarantining for two weeks and all classes will be held virtually.
President Steve Standifird sent out an e-mail Tuesday afternoon saying there have been just under 50 confirmed cases on campus, which is actually lower than similar institutions.
However, Standifird said in a video included in the e-mail he expects the numbers to rise.
“While most of you [students] are doing the right things, I am particularly concerned about the lack of compliance to behaviors necessary to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus,” he said.
“We are seeing both large and small gatherings, where masks and physical distancing are not observed.
“Many of our positive cases can be traced back to these gatherings. It’s actions like these that are putting people at risk and threatening our ability to stay on campus throughout the semester.”
Standifird said the quarantine would go into effect Tuesday night at 8.
“This means we are moving to remote learning for all students for two weeks. We expect all students to limit their in-person interactions to only the most essential activities,” he said.
“All students are expected to stay in their current housing during this two-week period, unless instructed otherwise.
“Violations of the quarantine will not be tolerated and will result in disciplinary action.”
Bradley University’s Executive Director of Public Relations Renee Charles, told WMBD’s Greg and Dan Show, discipline could include dismissal from campus.
“Because we can’t be everywhere, we need other people to tell us what they’re seeing, what they’re doing, what they’re hearing, so that we can make sure that we make sure we can stop these issues before they become big enough,” Charles said.
The “essential activities” for which students are permitted to leave their residences include picking food up from dining halls, spending time outside while masked, running errands, attending employment, engaging in off-campus learning activities, and visiting on-campus medical and counseling services.
Charles said by quarantining now, things will get back to normal sooner at Bradley, as long as everyone works together.
“We want to be here all semester, you want to be here all semester. It’s gonna take some work, but we’re very confident our students will do it,” Charles said.
Students have been given a hotline and e-mail address to contact should they see any violations of the order.
