by: WESH 2 News
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ORLANDO, Fla. (WESH) – Three sororities at the University of Central Florida are under quarantine and all students are now under new rules in order to stop the spread of coronavirus so the university can stay open.
Over the weekend, videos posted to social media showed large gatherings of students.
It’s that kind of gathering university administrators at UCF, and other schools across the country, are trying to stop.
Consequences could come for UCF students who ignore COVID-19 guidelines, even if they do so off campus.
An emergency order went into affect last week, outlining the university’s expectations for student behavior.
“The university reserves the right to address off-campus conduct when it is specifically prohibited by law or the Rules of Conduct, may have an adverse impact on the health, safety or welfare of the university community or any members thereof, or where such conduct may adversely affect the operations of the university,” the order reads.
Already, the women who live in three sorority houses in the university’s Greek Park have been asked to quarantine for two weeks.
The quarantine affects 79 women who live at the houses belonging to Zeta Tau Alpha and Kappa Alpha Theta and Alpha Epsilon Phi.
University officials said a “small number” of the women have confirmed cases.
A letter sent to all Greek chapters over the weekend didn’t give details about what led to the quarantines, but alluded to social events increasing the risk of spreading the virus.
“The facts haven’t changed. COVID-19 is very easily spread from one person to another,” Dr. Rajiv Bahl said.
Bahl is an emergency medicine doctor who is warning that while Florida’s rise in cases has slowed, community spread hasn’t stopped.
“While younger individuals can get this virus and pass it off quickly, we still need them in this fight,” he said. “When they are harboring this virus and passing it off to other community members, especially in Central Florida, we get a little bit more concerned,” Bahl said.
At UCF, the administration is encouraging students to report noncompliance they see on campus or off-campus.
They’ve set up an anonymous 24-hour hotline to do so and say every report will be investigated quickly and discreetly and stress student conduct is important to keeping the campus open.
The university is also tracking cases with weekly updates to an online dashboard. On Tuesday, it showed 829 cases have been confirmed at UCF since the pandemic began.
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