Off-campus "superspreader" event linked to 125 virus cases at Monmouth University
An off-campus "superspreader" event has led to 125 coronavirus cases at Monmouth University in New Jersey, the university's president said in an open letter to students.
Through extensive contact tracing, the rise in cases was linked to a single event held about two weeks ago, Monmouth president Patrick Leahy wrote Friday. This event was held off-campus, although school officials did not specify what kind of event it was, only calling it a "social gathering."
Since August 24, Monmouth has reported over 319 coronavirus cases. According to the school's COVID-19 dashboard, only 96 of those cases are considered active, while the other 223 account for recovered cases.
The school has not yet determined whether fully remote learning will continue for the rest of the fall semester. In his open letter, Leahy emphasized how important testing and social distancing was to the status of the fall semester.
"I cannot emphasize enough the critical importance of compliance with Monmouth University COVID-19 protocols and State of New Jersey health and safety measures to effectively protect the Monmouth community," Leahy wrote on Friday. "The future of our fall semester will rest, in large part, on the ability of everyone to follow these necessary protocols."
These new cases are a part of New Jersey's increase in weekly positive cases. According to Johns Hopkins University, the state had at least 469 new cases reported in the last seven days, bringing Jersey's total case count to 214,097.