Reopening

Bradley U Requires All Students to Quarantine for Two Weeks

• By Yvonne Marquez
• 09/10/20

Bradley University is requiring the entire student body to quarantine for two weeks because of a spike in COVID-19 on campus, officials announced this week. The temporary quarantine is in effect until Sept. 23.

Officials of the private university in central Illinois attribute the rise in coronavirus cases to off-campus gatherings. The university is requiring students to limit interactions, stay in their off-campus apartments, residence halls, or Greek houses, and take classes remotely.

The university has confirmed 50 positive COVID-19 cases with an additional 500 students in quarantine who were identified through contract tracing and may be infected.

"Although it may seem extreme, this move to temporary remote learning and a two-week, all-student quarantine allows us to focus on the continuity of the educational experience for all of our students while giving us time to gather data on the full extent of the spread of the virus and assess the best way to proceed as a community," Bradley President Stephen Standifird said in a statement.

Standifird instructed students to stay put and to not go home, which could spread COVID-19 further.

“If we do not see progress during these two weeks, it will impact the rest of the semester, potentially causing us to go remote for the rest of the calendar year,” Standifird told a local news station.