The drop in Lane County’s COVID-19 risk level — from Extreme to High — will affect some operations at the University of Oregon.
With a change in Lane County’s risk level, the university is loosening some restrictions on campus.
Residency halls will begin allowing limited indoor seating. The Student Recreation Center will have expanded occupancy starting Monday.
University spokesperson Kay Jarvis said students and staff have been diligent with safety measures. With continuous testing and contact tracing, they are able to quickly move positive and presumptive cases into isolation and quarantine.
“Through this rigorous approach, we are seeing case counts continue to drop as they have done over the past month,” she said. “Last week, the positivity rate for on-campus housing was well below 1%.”
Campus buildings remain closed to the general public. Jarvis said weekly, on-campus testing will continue — at least through the beginning of spring term. She added that students are discouraged from traveling for spring break. A “Week of Wellness” is planned on campus with safe activities and a chance for students “to de-stress and relax.”
In the past two weeks, the U of O has reported 56 off campus students, 47 on-campus students and 2 employees have tested positive for COVID-19.