The University of Maryland reported a record-high 202 people staying in university quarantine and isolation housing Sunday — the same day it recorded the most-ever positive COVID-19 results in a single day from campus testing.
Of the university’s current 147 quarantine and isolation housing units, 108 are occupied, leaving about 27 percent of housing available.
The university is opening Wicomico Hall to add more isolation housing, according to a Saturday campuswide email from university President Darryll Pines and University Health Center Director Dr. Spyridon Marinopoulos. More space will open as needed, the email read.
[With campus COVID cases on the rise, UMD community sounds off on sequestering order]
The university also recorded its most cases in one day this semester with 67 cases Sunday — 49 positives from on-campus testing and 18 self-reported positives. The second-most cases occurred a few days prior, with 62 reported cases Friday.
“We are keenly aware of the toll this virus is taking on our collective and individual mental health,” Pines and Marinopoulos wrote in a campuswide email Thursday. “But we cannot let down our guard against this virus.”
[UMD reports most daily COVID-19 cases of the academic year from campus testing]
Over the weekend, Pines and Marinopoulos instructed students on the campus to sequester in place through at least Saturday, Feb. 27. While students living in on-campus facilities were directed to stay put as of 12 p.m. on Feb. 20, those off-campus were also strongly encouraged to stay home as much as possible.
In-person classes were also canceled through at least Friday in response to this spike in cases.
“In the coming days, we will continue to use data to inform our decisions and evaluation of the status of these new measures,” the email read.
