Notre Dame says it will move undergraduate classes online for the next two weeks and close public spaces on campus. The announcement follows a spike in COVID-19 cases.
Before students returned to school, Notre Dame recorded a 0.3% positivity rate. Just more than a week since classes began, it increased to 19.1%. The university says most cases can be traced back to off-campus parties.
Notre Dame President Father Jenkins says disciplinary action will not be taken on any student parties that have been reported through contact tracing.
“If however, we learn of a serious violation of our policies from other sources, we will take disciplinary action,” Jenkins said.
The university says, until further notice, off-campus students should not visit campus. After Sept. 2, officials will make the decision whether to return to in-person instruction or send students back home.