Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, has canceled in-person classes and activities for the rest of the fall semester.
In a Nov. 11 announcement, Chancellor Kent Syverud said the last day of in-person instruction would be Nov. 11. The university was going to end in-person instruction Nov. 24, when students were set to leave for Thanksgiving break. The university began an accelerated semester Aug. 24 with in-person classes. Classes will end Nov. 24 when Thanksgiving break begins.
There were 52 new COVID-19 cases at the university Nov. 11. Within a 14-day period of Nov. 7–20, there were 179 new cases. New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in an announcement Aug. 27 that if a college has over 100 cases or if the number of positive cases equals 5% of the student population, colleges will have to transition to remote learning for two weeks.
The university currently has 221 active cases among students, staff and faculty. There are 590 students in quarantine as of Nov. 12. Between Nov. 11 and Nov. 12, there were 99 students added to quarantine.
“As we have done since the beginning of this pandemic, we must continue to prioritize the health and wellness of the campus and the broader Syracuse communities,” Syverud said in the announcement.
Onondaga County, where Syracuse is located, reported 178 new COVID-19 cases Nov. 12. This was the county’s second-highest daily increase in cases. The highest was Nov. 11 with 222 cases.
Syracuse University students can continue to attend counseling and health appointments as well as reserve library items, according to The Daily Orange. Students can also make COVID-19 testing appointments prior to leaving campus. The university is also encouraging students to leave early during remote learning rather than wait for Thanksgiving break.
In Tompkins County, there are 101 active cases as of Nov. 12, a number that is the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. Since March, there have been 748 total cases. There were 718 cases as of Nov. 11, so this is an increase of 30 cases in one day.
Ithaca College currently has 11 active cases and 46 total since Aug. 14. Cornell University has had a total of 158 cases since Aug. 28. Cornell previously had two COVID-19 clusters in September. The university also raised its COVID-19 alert level Sept. 3 but lowered it after two days of no new positives. On Nov. 13, the university raised its level to yellow, meaning that the incidence of the virus remains low, but indicators show increased, or potential for an increase in, transmission. The university added six new positive cases to its dashboard Nov. 12. There have been 14 positives between Nov. 5 and Nov. 11, according to Cornell’s dashboard.
Tompkins Cortland Community College is holding classes remotely from Nov. 9 to 15 after a COVID-19 cluster was discovered. There are 11 positive cases, 70 students in quarantine and 11 faculty members in quarantine.
