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The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has ordered a two-week lockdown for undergraduates after a "rapid increase" in coronavirus cases.
Until Sept. 16, students are expected to "significantly restrict in-person activities," officials wrote in an announcement this week. That means all undergraduate students must avoid gathering in small or large groups.
For their own safety, students are now required to remain in their residences and can only leave for essential activities, which include taking twice-weekly COVID-19 tests, attending classes, purchasing groceries or food, going to work or religious services and tending to other medical needs, according to university officials.
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The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Facebook)
The rise in cases was caused by the "irresponsible actions of a small number of students" who "have created the very real possibility of ending an in-person semester" for everyone, officials wrote in an email to students. "Their poor choices have led to a concerning and rapid increase in the number of new undergraduate COVID-19 positive cases."
To date, more than 400 new cases of the virus have been reported on campus since classes began at the end of August and about twice as many people are currently in quarantine.
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Officials acknowledged to students that "being together with friends is a big part of why you chose to come back."
However, lockdown measures are "what it will take to repair the damage in time to break the cycle of increasing new cases," officials said. "The number of new cases we have seen in the past several days has been progressing at a rate that will double every seven days without the actions we are asking of you."
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For the next two weeks, the school said it will "swiftly remove those individuals who have created this unacceptable risk" for the campus and community and "who have undermined your hard work to stay together."
Students who continue to violate the safety policies and engage in unsafe activities that run the risk of further spreading the virus "will be asked to leave this university," the letter read.
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