Virus review: College towns growing alarmed over outbreaks among students. Here’s the latest.
As more and more schools and businesses around the country get the OK to reopen, college towns are moving in the opposite direction because of too much partying and too many COVID-19 infections among students.
With more than 300 students at the University of Missouri testing positive for the coronavirus and an alarming 44% positivity rate for the surrounding county, the local health director Friday ordered bars to stop serving alcohol at 9 p.m. and close by 10 p.m.
Earlier this week, Iowa’s governor ordered all bars shut down around Iowa University and Iowa State, while the mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, did the same in the hometown of the state’s flagship university.
“What we’re seeing in our violations is they’re coming late at night,” said Stephanie Browning, head of the health department for Columbia, Missouri. “Big groups gathering. They’re not wearing their masks, they’re not social distancing.”
In other developments:
- The credibility of two top public health agencies is on the line after controversial decisions that outside experts say suggest political pressure from the Trump administration.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom is announcing a new process for reopening businesses that is slower and more gradual than what the state tried earlier this summer.
- Authorities say TikTok celebrities Bryce Hall and Blake Gray are facing criminal charges after they hosted recent parties in the Hollywood Hills held despite a ban on large gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic.
- Health officials in North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County say four people who were at the Republican National Convention in Charlotte have tested positive for the coronavirus.
- Vermont’s top public health official said Friday the state will continue with its procedures to test people for the coronavirus even if they are not showing symptoms, but have been exposed to someone who has been.
- Britain is preparing to revise its laws to allow the emergency use of any effective coronavirus vaccine before it is fully licensed but only if the shots meet required safety and quality standards.
- The Finnish National Opera is kicking off its fall season with a coronavirus-themed production. “Covid fan tutte” is a satirical take on Mozart’s classic opera piece “Cosi fan tutte,” with an adapted contemporary story line that reflects the Nordic country’s pandemic experiences.
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