The University of Maryland has ended a one-week “sequester-in-place” order for students living on its College Park campus, saying that coronavirus infections are now contained enough to allow in-person teaching to resume Monday.
One week earlier, Pines had imposed restrictions intended to limit movement on campus and squelch what had been a worrisome rise in cases. The university had asked the approximately 4,300 students who live on campus and thousands of others who live nearby to stay in their residences as much as possible. It also had suspended face-to-face teaching for classes that offered it. However, many courses this semester are entirely online.
Results of viral testing in recent days reassured Pines that the situation had not spiraled out of control. The positivity rate, which measures the share of tests that confirm a viral infection, has been about 1 percent, Pines wrote in an email. The sequester order for students in dormitories ended at noon.
“We will continue to actively monitor the situation and intervene appropriately as needed, including requiring additional testing in areas where we may observe increased viral transmission,” Pines wrote.
The University of Virginia on Friday also eased some campus restrictions as cases fell at the school in Charlottesville.
