MIAMI (NewsNation) — Colleges and universities around the country are dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks and trying to figure out how to stop the spread.
The University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida listed 96 students and staff as having the virus. 94 students are in quarantine, and another 69 students are in isolation, according to the university.
The university has an online dashboard that details each case.
“I think most people are trying to stay safe, and if they do have it, they are trying to quarantine as best as they can,” said Lillianna Fedewa, a University of Miami in Coral Gables student .
Some students say they are not socializing and trying to stay in their dorms or apartments as much as possible.
“We are just trying to keep ourselves distanced as much as possible until this passes,” said University of Miami student, Alix Earle said.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez says he plans to meet with university leaders about the outbreak.
“This is concerning to me. This is how we started some time ago…we saw this spike in young people. We need to curtail as much of that as possible. And let them know this is very serious business,” said Mayor Gimenez.
Outbreaks on college campuses are not rare. Almost 800 students have tested positive at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, causing administrators to move most in-person classes online.
At East Carolina University in Greenville, parents had to move their kids out of residence halls just three weeks after moving them in because of an outbreak.
“Just disappointed the way things have worked out. But they have done the best they can and I hope they will strive to get the kids back into school. Maybe they can go forward back January, springtime, and really take off from that,” said parent, Kerry Clary.
The University of Southern California has about 100 students in quarantine after they tested positive for COVID-19.
All of the students live off campus, according to the university.
“We have tested five thousand students — over five thousand students since the beginning of August and we are testing asymptomatic. We are testing people who are symptomatic. We are trying our best to find these cases,” said Dr. Sarah Van Orman, chief health officer of USC Student Health.
On Tuesday, Florida State University Police in Tallahassee announced they arrested seven students for violating COVID-19 regulations and hosting a house party. The university president said many of the students at the party were not wearing masks or social distancing.