MADISON, Wis. - The Public Health Madison & Dane County with the University of Wisconsin-Madison have told members of nine UW–Madison fraternities and sororities with off-campus live-in chapter houses to quarantine for at least 14 days in response to confirmed cases of COVID-19 among their members, a release said Friday.
As of September 2, 38 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were present in the Greek life system. Those who have tested positive will have to isolate and the university's Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life has rooms to safely do so.
There are 420 fraternity and sorority members who live in these nine off-campus chapter houses and 1,500 living in chapter houses school-wide, according to a news release.
“Our goal is to stop any further spread of the virus among our students and the broader community,” says Jake Baggott, executive director of University Health Services. “We’re working closely with county health officials, student leaders, chapter advisors, and the housing corporations that own the chapter houses to address this quickly and thoroughly.”
All other members of the chapters must be tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at a university testing site. Members who have previously tested positive within the last 90 days through a verified lab result and are not currently in isolation do not need to test or quarantine. Those with a previously positive case will have to submit their results to UHS for verification.
Communal living in chapter houses, where members share bathroom and dining facilities, poses greater opportunity for COVID-19 transmission, prompting the university and PHMDC to work with chapters and the housing corporations that own the houses to provide guidance and recommendations.
In recent weeks university staff also have visited chapter houses and other off-campus housing to speak directly with students about public health requirements and the university’s conduct policies, which apply on and off campus, according to a release.
“We are committed to addressing concerns and risks quickly in order to keep everyone in our community as safe as possible,” says Lori Reesor, vice chancellor for student affairs. “Our students’ commitment to following public health directives is an essential part of that effort.”
Similarly, Big Ten school Indiana University is telling students living in fraternity and sorority houses to “re-evaluate” their current living situations due to an alarming rate of COVID-19 infection at the Bloomington campus.