Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

COVID-19 Cases Spread on Campus Due to Housing Settings and Social Gatherings, CDC Reports

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 09/30/20

Two new reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conclude that COVID-19 is spreading on college campuses due to congregate housing, the increase of social gatherings, and disregard for mask wearing.  

The CDC reports between August and September — just when college campuses reopened —COVID-19 cases increased by 55% nationally among young people aged 18-22 years. The greatest increases occurred in the Northeast (144%) and the Midwest (123%).

"The observed increases in Covid-19 cases among persons aged 18-22 years could be driven by many factors, including changes in behavior or risk profiles resulting from multiple social, economic, and public policy changes during this period,” the researchers write the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. “Because approximately 45% of persons aged 18-22 years attend colleges and universities and 55% of those attending identified as White persons, it is likely that some of this increase is linked to resumption of in-person attendance at some colleges and universities.”

The report cites that about 71% of 18-22-year-olds live with a parent and nearly half of the age group attend colleges and universities. About 33% live with a parent while enrolled. To prevent cases on campus and within broader communities, the CDC says “it’s critically important” for students, faculty, and staff to “remain vigilant” and take steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

A second study, led by a team at the North Carolina Department of Health and the University of North Carolina, showed the university experienced a rapid increase of COVID-19 cases within 2 weeks of opening the campus. Student gatherings and close living settings, likely contributed to the rapid spread of COVID-19.

"The rapid increase in cases within two weeks of opening campus suggests that robust measures are needed to reduce transmission at institutes of higher education, including efforts to increase consistent use of masks, reduce the density of on-campus housing, increase testing for SARS-CoV-2, and discourage student gatherings," the researchers wrote.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.