University Of Maryland College Park Students Are Supposed To Be Sequestering Due To COVID-19. A Student Says They Aren't
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WJZ) -- University of Maryland, College Park students have been told to sequester-in-place after a spike of COVID-19 cases last week.
While students were supposed to be staying in their dorms, one student tells WJZ some aren't following the rules, and the university isn't enforcing them.
"Since this semester has started, the partying, the people at bars, the non-mask wearing on Baltimore Avenue in large groups of people, it's been really bad," the student, who wishes to stay anonymous, said.
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The student says they feel the university is not doing enough to enforce COVID-19 measures put in place to prevent the spread of the virus.
"Yesterday I looked outside my window, sitting inside, following the rules and there were people with no masks playing games, not socially distanced," the student said. "UMPD was called, and they did nothing."
The university told students last Saturday to stay in their dorms, fraternity and sorority houses and moved all classes online to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 after a series of clusters and outbreaks of the virus on campus last week.
The anonymous student says before that, there were large greek life parties happening.
"I think it kind of came to a head with rush events because when you have people going from one greek life house to another and then going back to their dorm where they're communally living, that's a huge risk of spreading COVID," the student said.
The student claims a lack of enforcement has made the problem worse.
"By the university not following on this, it's setting a precedent that no one has to follow the rules and it's not keeping students safe," they said.
The sequester-in-place order itself, the student said, was reactionary. "I think that this is more of (a) reaction on the university's part because they failed to do so much beforehand, I think it's (a) disproportionate reaction because of their complacency," the student said.
In a statement to WJZ, the university said:
"Members of our community our referred to the Office of Student Conduct for COVID-19-related violations around face coverings, physical distancing, testing guests, and more. Any student found responsible for violating the Code of Student Conduct, which includes COVID-19 compliance, will face consequences that range from reprimand to suspension and expulsion."
The University has confirmed to WJZ that some students who were referred for COVID-19 violations have lost housing privileges and been issued interim suspensions.
The sequester-in-place directive for students is in effect through Saturday.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.