For some freshman students who moved into University of Colorado Boulder in mid-August, it wasn't a question of if the coronavirus would spread on campus this year but when.
"I think it's gonna kind of explode in the next three or four months," said freshman Max Parry. "But I know we're taking all the precautions that we can. So fingers crossed that I'm wrong."
He wasn't. COVID-19 cases at the school have surged. Last week, Boulder County's public health director reported these numbers:
"In the past 10 days specifically, we've had six days with over new 50 reported cases and the large majority of which are students," said Jeff Zayach, Boulder County Public Health's Executive Director.
There have been nearly 800 positive on-campus test results in the past month. That prompted the school to order students to self-quarantine for two weeks. No socializing. Going to classes would still be permitted.
"We've had enough of students choosing to gather in large groups and choosing not to wear masks," said Philip DiStefano, C.U. Boulder Chancellor.
It's a national problem. Authorities say large social gatherings and off-campus parties have helped fueled the spread of the virus. According to one survey, there have been more than 88,000 COVID-19 cases on college campuses since the pandemic began.
More than 150 colleges have reported at least 100 cases, leading a number of schools to implement quarantines and/or suspend in-person classes. Moves that some students are having trouble dealing with.
"It's pretty crazy honestly," said one C.U. student. "A lot of my friends have said it's like they're grounding the whole college."
"I think it's a good idea for quarantine because COVID is just spreading everywhere, and that's never good," said another student.
"I don't agree with it, especially with the two-week quarantine, we don't get to use the school resources we pay for," said a third.
Last week, students in one Boulder dorm were told that because more room was needed in their facility to isolate those who'd tested positive for COVID-19, they'd have to move to another building. And now, the school has announced two weeks of remote-only learning will be required to bring case counts down.
"We're not taking these steps in an effort to try to shame or blame students," said Patrick O'Rourke, C.U. Boulder's Interim Executive Vice Chancellor. He stressed it's about protecting the health and safety of the community and that disciplinary action against students who don't comply with social distancing mandates is possible.
"We can't all be everywhere and it's really up to individual behaviors to be able to control the spread of this virus," Zayach said.
It's up to students to see if that can be done.
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