Amid COVID Spike, UNH Officials Warn Community To Stay Vigilant

NEW HAMPSHIRE — Students at the University of New Hampshire are scheduled to remain on campus through Nov. 20, but a record number of positive coronavirus cases on campus over the past week has led school officials to warn students to remain vigilant in the effort to limit the spread of the virus.

In a video message to the university community on Tuesday, UNH President Jim Dean and Senior Vice Provost of Student Life Kenneth Holmes said that although the school’s number of cases remains lower than state and national levels, the recent spike has caused reason for concern.

According to university COVID-19 data, the school registered a record number 67 positive cases over the past week. In total, the university has 83 active cases, including 74 students with 389 people in quarantine – three times the number of people quarantined three weeks ago. The previous record for confirmed cases in a week was 47.

A university spokeswoman said that the university is investigating allegations of large gatherings, including those that took place campus over Halloween weekend as a possible culprit for the recent surge in positive cases, according to a published report.

In the video, Holmes said that students, faculty, staff and visitors need to “double down” on pandemic-related guidelines such as wearing a mask, social distancing and washing their hands. He also said that if students do not meet testing requirements, they will be asked to leave campus. Students are scheduled to remain on campus through Nov. 20 and then remain on a remote learning basis through the remainder of the year.

In the video, Dean said that the university is working hard to track cases on and off campus, but that students need to do their part to ensure the safety of the rest of the university community.

“We really want to keep campus open through November 20 as planned,” Dean said. “Every single one of us must commit to staying vigilant for that to happen. ….Don’t let your guard down.”