Liberty University in Virginia will enact a temporary campus-wide quarantine starting Monday because of a spike in Covid-19 cases among students and staff.
The quarantine is scheduled to end Sept. 10, the university said.
There were 159 active Covid-19 cases among students and staff as of Saturday, according to the school's coronavirus dashboard. The university has about 15,000 students and 5,000 faculty or staff members on campus. The majority of infections, 124 cases, are among students.
Last week, 40 students and staff members had tested positive for Covid. The current spike surpasses the previous high of 141 cases last September when nearly 1,200 people connected with the campus were quarantined.
As the university began its fall semester this week, it lifted building capacity restrictions and distancing and masking requirements. It also does not require vaccination.
The university changed its protocol late Thursday to enact the campus-wide quarantine, move classes online and suspend large, indoor gatherings.
