All residents in Jefferson and Tiffin halls moved into quarantine Tuesday under orders from the Athens City-County Health Department after both halls reported outbreaks of COVID-19 cases.
Sixteen of the 69 residents in Jefferson tested positive for COVID-19, and 22 of Tiffin’s 78 residents tested positive.
Students are required to quarantine until Oct. 25.
All residents who tested positive were immediately relocated to isolation halls on campus, according to a media release. Housing and Residence Life is working to assign the remaining students in both halls to quarantine rooms in line with the university’s COVID-19 protocols.
The relocations come four days after all residents of Boyd Hall were moved into isolation after 19 residents tested positive.
“I cannot stress enough how important it is for our University community to follow University policy and adhere to public health guidance to keep our students, faculty and staff safe,” Ohio University President Duane Nellis said in the release. “The increasing numbers of COVID cases we are seeing in our residence halls should serve as a wake-up call to our students. Now more than ever, we need to follow necessary health practices to keep our community safe, protect our own families and friends, and ensure business continuity.”
The students will be provided with meals and other resources while in quarantine. OU is also working with the students and their professors on how to proceed with remote schoolwork.
OU has 405 coronavirus cases reported through its COVID-19 hotline as of Oct. 13, according to the COVID-19 dashboard.
As of Oct. 12, 39 quarantine spaces were in use, and 98 isolation spaces were in use.
