NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – There has been a "very concerning" spike in coronavirus cases among students at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany, officials said.
A statement from the school Thursday warned that if the spike isn't "addressed immediately" it could result in the university suspending all in-person activities, including teaching, on its campuses.
There were 40 positive cases among students since the start of the semester on Aug. 24, 31 of them in the last 24 hours, according to the notice sent out Thursday night.
"Clusters have been identified within Athletics and in off-campus student housing in the Pine Hills neighborhood, but are not isolated to these students," the statement said.
As the university works to isolate and quarantine the students, officials said the entire community must follow public health directives like wearing masks in public, social distancing and avoiding large gatherings.
"Violations of these directives—including failure to immediately respond to University or county health department inquiries or failure to adhere to isolation and quarantine—will result in severe consequences, up to and including suspension or dismissal from the University," the statement said.
SUNY Oneonta announced earlier this month that it was sending students home and ending all in-person classes and activities for the rest of the fall semester after hundreds of students there tested positive. Cases at Oneonta were nearing 700 this week.
Oneonta had been on "pause" for two weeks, with in-person activities and classes suspended, but SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras directed the college to send students home and end in-person classes as the number of cases grew.
