Halloween parties to blame for recent COVID outbreak at Vermont college, school says
Halloween parties are significantly to blame for a recent COVID-19 outbreak at a small college in Vermont, the school said.
Saint Michael’s College, in Colchester, has 79 positive COVID-19 cases as of Nov. 10 from the past two weeks, according to its virus dashboard. And the situation was “not inevitable,” the school’s president, Lorraine Sterritt, said in a Nov. 7 letter to the college community.
“We are deeply saddened that the investigation of the genesis of this increase in positive cases points to Halloween parties as being a significant part of the problem,” Sterritt said.
She noted that the school was “doing really well as a community up to the point where there were numerous Halloween parties where students were unmasked and in close contact.”
McClatchy News reached out to Sterritt for comment on Nov. 10 and was awaiting a response.
Roughly 1,750 students attend the liberal arts college, according to its website.
Two positive cases were reported Nov. 9, Alessandro Bertoni, a spokesperson for Sterritt, told McClatchy News on Nov. 10.
The week after Halloween, there were 54 positive cases at the college compared to zero reported the week before, the dashboard shows, and classes were moved online on Nov. 5 due to the outbreak.
“Important athletic events, performances, trips, and other events have been canceled or postponed,” Sterritt said in another letter on Nov. 5.
“While the vast majority of our students over Halloween weekend were adhering to health and safety guidelines, such as registering parties, limiting their size, and masking, some did not,” Bertoni said.
“The timing of the cases we experienced, together with contact tracing, led us to the conclusion that Halloween parties were likely a primary source of spread.”
The rise in COVID-19 cases at the college coincides with a statewide spike with 201 COVID-19 cases reported on Nov. 9, according to the state’s health department.
Over the past two weeks, there was a 51 percent increase in daily COVID-19 cases, The New York Times database reported.
Classes at Saint Michael’s College were resumed in-person on Nov. 8 but Sterritt said she gave faculty the option to hold “some or all” of their classes virtually through Thanksgiving break.
Additionally, in-person student social gatherings were suspended through Thanksgiving.
A COVID-19 testing center was set up in a central location on campus for asymptomatic students, faculty and staff, Sterritt said.
Additionally, those who were symptomatic were advised to visit the school’s wellness center.
“We have a great community that is very highly vaccinated, and we are optimistic that this will help us get through this situation quickly and safely,” she said.
VermontGov. Phil Scott recently wrote on Twitter that “testing will continue to be a critical component for managing Covid for a long time.”
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 1:17 PM.
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