Virus spikes in college towns

Manhattan and Lawrence see steep increases from students at K-State and KU

By

State News

September 7, 2020 - 7:33 AM

Kansas State University Library

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Active coronavirus cases in the Kansas State University area spiked more than 400% since classes resumed in mid-August.

Active Riley County, Kansas cases increased from 125 on Aug. 17 — the first day of classes — to 679 as of Friday, The Manhattan Mercury reported Sunday.

Cumulative cases in Riley County went up almost 135%, from 500 to 1,174 in the same time period.

The newspaper reported that the local health department declared virus outbreaks at three fraternities, six sororities and the college football team. There are 20 active cases at one fraternity.

The Riley County Health Department cancelled permits for all September events at sorority and fraternity houses.

At the University of Kansas in Lawrence, students plan to strike on Labor Day to pressure the university to close campus, the Kansas City Star reported. The newspaper reports there were 546 confirmed cases at the university as of Thursday.

Jayhawker Liberation Front posted on Twitter asking students not to attend their in-person or online classes Monday.

The student organization’s leaders tweeted that a strike “would send a firm message to administration that our lives are not their expendable playthings; that we are not simply an avenue through which they make money.”

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