Tech reports 3 weeks of lower virus count
Over the weekend, Louisiana Tech University recorded its third straight week with much lower selfreported COVID-19 case numbers compared to the first three weeks of the fall quarter.
Tech reported 19 new cases of the novel coronavirus among students, faculty and staff for the sixth week of the quarter, which spanned Oct. 15-21.
That makes a total of 69 cases over the last three reporting periods, compared to 311 reported over an equal length of time at the start of the fall quarter in September. Total enrollment is just under 11,200 this year.
Of the 19 latest cases, two are marked as students living on campus, 13 are students living off campus and four are faculty or staff members.
The cases included on Tech’s COVID-19 dashboard are entirely self-reported by the individuals who test positive for the virus.
Once a positive case is reported, that person is asked to selfisolate until cleared. Staff and volunteers begin contact tracing to determine who else may need to quarantine based on being a close contact with a reported positive case.
Tech officials have not attributed the drop in cases to any particular cause. But Executive Director of Communications Tonya Oaks Smith said the university’s enabling students to continue their academic work even while quarantined or isolated, as well as students’ willingness to comply by the guidelines, have certainly helped.
“We have really conscientious students,” Smith said. “We’re able to work with them when they’re (identified as) direct contacts to ensure they do the right thing. They’re focused on keeping their peers and the campus community healthy.”
After evaluating case data from the university and local populations, the university announced new, somewhat lessened procedures for how student organizations can hold group gatherings.
Student groups are now allowed to hold regular meetings in person once again. Those meetings must be on campus and cannot exceed 50% of the venue’s maximum capacity. They also cannot last more than an hour, as reservable space on campus is limited.
Other gatherings besides regular organization meetings are to be limited to 100 people or 50% of the gathering space, whichever is smaller.
Both types of gatherings must have an adviser present and be fully approved by the university two weeks in advance. Any event serving food must pass through an additional committee for approval. Other restrictions on live performances, crowd security, entrance and exits, an RSVP process and more are also in place.
