BURLINGTON — The University of Vermont is ramping up Covid-19 precautions as cases spike among students.
Effective March 1, all students will be tested twice weekly for the virus. Gary Derr, the university’s vice president of operations, informed students and faculty of the new policy in an email Thursday afternoon. Currently, students are tested once a week.
Students will also face harsher penalties for violating the university’s coronavirus restrictions, beginning immediately. Any infringement of those rules, which reflect the state of Vermont’s ban on inter-household gathering and travel, among other guidelines, may now result in suspension.
“With your collaboration, we have set a standard for others to follow,” Derr wrote to students. “But, with the spread of more contagious strains of Covid-19, we now find ourselves at a critical moment.”
UVM has had a rocky start to the spring semester. In the first three weeks, the university reported 140 student cases, surpassing the fall’s total of 91 cases.
On Monday, the university reported a total of 61 cases over the previous week — up from 46 the week before. Four staff members have also tested positive. The rapid increase has left students and faculty shaken.
Thursday’s announcements mark the university’s first major change to Covid protocols in response.
The university’s testing center is expanding hours to accommodate the doubled testing requirements, which begin next week. All on-campus students and off-campus students living in the area must now get tested every three days.
The new testing regimen will continue until March 13, at which point, Derr wrote, “we will review the results, seek advice from medical professionals, and determine whether to continue twice weekly testing.”
The new sanctions, meanwhile, will remain in effect until at least the end of March. On-campus students who are suspended will be given 48 hours to pack up and leave campus, Derr warned.
The university’s Covid rules include requirements for masking and physical distancing in public and private spaces, participation in testing, and full compliance with contact tracing — as well as adherence to state guidelines. All violations except for the first time a student misses a required test may warrant a suspension, under the university’s new sanctions.
Earlier in the week, UVM also opened an additional quarantine location for on-campus students who have been exposed to the virus. Officials transferred 62 students out of a residence hall in order to provide the additional space.
In a statement Thursday, Mayor Miro Weinberger commended UVM’s actions.
“I am grateful to the thousands of UVM and Champlain College students whose exceptional individual efforts and sacrifices are helping protect the Burlington community, and urge everyone to continue that work,” he said.
